Red Rain - A Nickhoales Series Side-Story
by MorningStar1399
Summary: Warning: Spoilers! Savannah is a foster child being dropped off at yet another foster family. James and Aryanna Meyes are her soon-to-be foster parents, and with Aryanna's past in foster care and her relation to one of the members of the team, and Savannah's past slowly being uncovered, as well as James' secrets of his own... Set in Savior From The Grave prior to Chapter Three.
1. One-Savannah

**Author's Note:**

**Hi! This is a side story to my Criminal Minds FanFic series ****_An Unyielding, Horrifying, Love_****. Certain characters are from that series, so I strongly suggest reading that as well if you haven't already. Just a warning: this is a bit of a spoiler for that series.**

**This is going to start out bland and I'm going to be jumping around between perspectives A LOT, but this isn't your usual CM FanFic, and neither is the AUHL series. These focus mostly on the victims rather than the team.**

**So hope you enjoy the little story I have for all of you!**

* * *

Savannah sat in the back seat of Miss Peterson's Toyota, watching the sickening swirls of the reflection of passing trees on her window as they drove on to what would be her new home. This wasn't the first time she was being assigned a new place to live, having been in foster care for nearly six years. Six years, twice as many families. This would be the thirteenth one she was being shephered into and expected to enjoy.

Looking away from the window, she took out the pictures of her new foster family given to her back at the agency. Their names, ages, and a little background information were written on the back. The woman, an Aryanna Meyes, was twenty seven and already been a foster parent before. She was a brunette, with a pretty, perfect smile, fair skin, and expressive brown eyes that said something more than the happiness she was supposed to express for the picture. The man, a James Meyes, was twenty eight and new to the foster care business. How all of that worked out, she didn't know, but if the two felt like explaining they would. Savannah wasn't about to pressure an unwilling answer out of anyone again. James was tan-skinned and black-haired with rather dark hazelish-greenish eyes. Both pictures looked professionally done, unlike the others she'd been given, meaning either the foster care agency took them or the two had money, and lots of it. That would be a first for the foster families she'd belonged to in the past.

Another first about this couple was that they had no other children staying with them nor did they have any children of their own to worry about getting along with. Savannah was used to being at least one of two foster children in one foster home, and there were a few instances where she was one of several children in the home altogether, some being the foster parent's biological children. She wondered what this meant would be happening in this new house. Would she receive constant attention? Would she be forgotten? Would she be given whatever she wanted? What was she to expect?

Savannah sighed quitely, looking at her lap. She slipped the photos in her duffel bag - it was given to her at the start of her travels thoughout foster care - and straightened her denim skirt over the teal leggings, then looked at her brown boots for any truly disgusting scuff marks. She rubbed at two before giving up, her thumb hot, red, and raw. She then pulled down her grey tank top so it covered her belt loops and fixed her denim jacket so the back lay flat against the seat, unlike before where there was a large fold causing her discomfort. Once situated, she ran her fingers through her straight black hair absent-mindedly as she stared out the window.

Miss Peterson looked at her in the rear-view mirror. "We'll be reaching the Meyes' house in fifteen minutes, okay?"

Savannah stopped running her fingers through her hair. "Oh. Okay. Thank you."

Miss Peterson smiled. "Mrs. Meyes is well-known and well-liked by most everyone in this area."

"And where is 'this area' again, Miss Peterson?"

"Richardsville, Virgnia."

Savannah nodded. "Oh. Thank you."

Miss Peterson smiled again. "It's near Quantico."

Savannah nodded.

"Oh, Savannah?" Miss Peterson asked, looking at her again in the rearview mirror as they turned down a road lined with white, red, and blue houses.

"Yes, Miss Peterson?"

"I have to tell you that Mrs. Meyes is very close to her family, specifically her half-brother, who I have to warn you is an FBI agent. She moved from Connecticut to be closer to him while being far enough away for them to value their time together. I was informed you may be meeting him today. I figured I might pass on the message to you so you can be prepared."

Savannah nodded. "Oh. Okay. Thank you."

Miss Peterson nodded, then trained her eyes back on the road.

Ten minutes later, the Toyota pulled over in front of a small, white, two-story house with a white picket fence and a nice front porch. The first story windows had window boxes with purple, pink, red, yellow, and blue flowers growing inside them while the second story windows had none. On the front porch was a porch swing, two wooden rocking chairs, and a small ice cream parlor-like table and two matching chairs. One of those chairs was occupied by a young, tan-skinned man matching the image of James Meyes. He wore a light blue collared shirt tucked into tan pants held up by a brown belt. He wore the average brown shoes Savannah saw most men wearing. He didn't seem very threatening. In fact, he stood up when he saw Miss Peterson pull the key from the ignition, grab her purse and briefcase, and open her car door.

Savannah was suprised by how tall he was. She'd been amongst tall families before, but this challenged what she knew to be tall. He had to be...6'5'? She almost didn't want to get out of the car until she heard Miss Peterson laughing as he called to her from the porch.

_He's a tall, thin teddy-bear like man, Savannah. Relax and get out there,_ she told herself as she took a deep breath and opened the door. Instantly she took another deep breath, inhaling the oddly sweet air, savoring it on her tongue. It was like honeysuckle and love, if it was possible to smell such a thing.

Miss Peterson removed a small suitcase from the trunk and handed it to Savannah. "I figured this might be my last time seeing you off to a new home, so I wanted you to have this as a parting gift. I don't do this for all of my..." She had to stop to wipe a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry. I don't usually get emotional about these things. It's normally all in a day's work, but..." She pressed her fingers to her mouth as her eyes creased up from restraining from crying.

Savannah took the suitcase, confused but shyly so. "Thank you, Miss Peterson."

The social worker smiled as she led the way to the front door, her heels clacking on the cobblestone walkway.

Mr. Meyes smiled as he opened the door. "HONEY!" he called inside. "SHE'S HERE!"

A female voice from inside screamed, then exclaimed, "YAY! FINALLY!"

Mr. Meyes chuckled, shaking his head, eyes closed as he signaled for Miss Peterson and Savannah to enter the house.

_So Mr. Meyes is a polite, tall, thin teddy-bear like man who loves his wife. So far so good,_ Savannah thought.

Mr. Meyes closed the door behind them all, then disappeared into the dining room to their right. Savannah took this time to examine what she could see so far of their house, and so far, she was liking it. The room she was in at the moment was definitely the living room, with tan walls and white decals. A leather sofa and loveseat set sat angled in such a way that from wherever one sat, there would be a somewhat-perfect view of the black flatscreen TV in the mahogany entertainment center. A mahogany coffee table sat in front of the sofa with stacks of magazines and a newspaper, a few coffee mugs and cork-and-wood coasters. In front of where Savannah currently stood was a carpeted staircase up to the second floor. To her right was a dining room with walls painted a soft lime green with white trim. A nice mahogany dining table and six chairs sat centered in the room with a cerulean blue table runner and cerulean blue seat cushions. There were several paintings on the wall that looked as if they had been painted specifically for this room, as one was, in fact, of the room, another of the house, and the others were of various items in the room such as the crystal flower vase filled with red and yellow tulips and white baby's breath. So far, Savannah liked what she saw.

A few moments later, a young woman came walking in, a curious smile on her fair face. Her brown eyes were expressive, capturing her unexplainable joy beautifully. Her shoulder-blade-length brown hair was layered, straightened, and blow-dried to the point where it looked like it belonged on the cover of Seventeen magazine, the magazine Miss Peterson said Savannah was too young to be reading but purchased for her anyways. Her lips were shiny coral pink, contrasting from the shirt she wore that matched Mr. Meyes' beautifully. She, however, wore dark skinny jeans and a denim vest instead of tan pants and nothing. Savannah looked down shyly, and noticed the woman wore black high-heeled boots. This made Savannah look back up again at the woman. Everything about her was Seventeen magazine-worthy, but this was Aryanna Meyes.

Mrs. Meyes smile's didn't seem to fade for an instant. "Hi! You must be Savannah. I'm Aryanna Meyes." She extended a thin hand, and as Savannah took it shyly she noticed the French tips and coral pink polish. Her suspicions were confirmed: The Meyes' had it well.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Meyes," Savannah replied.

Mrs. Meyes sighed, her smile no longer showing her teeth. "Mrs. Meyes...I'm still not used to being called that and I've been married now for a year and a half! I keep feeling like my mother-in-law is being called over or something!" She laughed, a sweet joyful laughter that warmed Savannah's heart and brought a smile to her face.

Mr. Meyes smiled, his eyes not leaving Mrs. Meyes' face. "It must be my mother's being a teacher."

His wife nodded. "Yes, I do believe that is it."

A slightly older man stepped into partial view behind the couple, and it was almost difficult to see the resemblance between him and Mrs. Meyes, but it was definitely there in the eyes and nose. He wore business casual well, Savannah decided.

Mrs. Meyes turned at the sound of his soft footsteps. "Savannah, I hope you don't mind, but this is my brother, Dr. Spencer Reid. He's an FBI agent, but don't let that fool you. He's quite the sweetheart."

Mr. Meyes shrugged a little as he added, "And quite the genius."

Dr. Reid laughed. "Alright, alright, you two." He came closer, stopping once he was next to Mrs. Meyes. "Hi."

"Hi," Savannah said shyly.

Miss Peterson shifted slightly, waiting for someone to say something more.

Dr. Reid noticed this, and therefore said, "I hope that my arrival here wasn't too much for you on your first day here."

"No, I don't think it will be," Savannah said politely.

"Spencer? Where'd you go?" said a young female voice.

Dr. Reid's hand flew to his mouth. "Oh, God! Amy, I'm so sorry! Hold on - I'll be right back." With that, he rushed back to what had to be the kitchen.

Miss Peterson turned to Mrs. Meyes. "I apologize. We haven't officially met. I'm Marcy Peterson, Savannah's social worker. I've been with her for the past six years."

Mrs. Meyes smiled, extending a hand, which Miss Peterson accepted quickly. "Aryanna Meyes. Miley Gran spoke very highly of you."

Miss Peterson's eyes lit up. "Miley Gran spoke highly of me? Why, I'm honored!"

Mrs. Meyes smiled. "I'm sure it was well deserved praise. And this is my husband, James."

"Yes, we've already met. His mother and I go way back, so I've been connected with his family since his infancy," Miss Peterson replied, nodding.

James laughed. "Yes, you two went to high school together."

Miss Peterson smiled and nodded as Dr. Reid came from around the corner in the living room, pushing a young teen in a wheelchair.

Mrs. Meyes glanced over at the two then said, "Why don't we join them over there instead of standing here? Can I get you two something to drink?"

"Black coffee's great, thanks," Miss Peterson said.

"And for you, Savannah?"

The girl looked up at the woman's eyes. "Milk or orange juice is fine, thank you."

"Which do you prefer? We have both."

This was unexpected. "Uh, milk is fine, I guess. Thank you."

Mrs. Meyes smiled. "I'll be right back. Make yourselves comfortable!" With that, she disappeared into the kitchen as Mr. Meyes led the social worker and child over to the sofas. He sat in a matching armchair next to the large picture window, Miss Peterson on the love seat next to Dr. Reid, and Savannah on the far end of the sofa, being careful not to ruin anything. She didn't feel like ruining what could be a good relationship by ruining their expensive furniture.

Savannah finally got to look at the girl in the wheelchair and was rather shocked at what she saw. The young teen's brown, wavy hair flowed to her waist, some hanging over her pale, freckled face. She wore brown and teal glasses obviously to help her expressive brown eyes see. Her smile seemed the opposite of her dark outfit which consisted of a black, long-sleeve turtleneck (_In the middle of spring? How odd, Savannah thought, but dared not mention it_.), dark skinny jeans, and tall, black riding boots. Around her neck hung a silver and gold heart-shaped locket with some kind of engraving on it, while her left wrist had a black brace and her right a Pandora bracelet with quite a few assorted charms. Her wheelchair itself seemed part of the outfit, the seat being cushioned by orange and blue throw pillows that looked handmade, the definitely handmade "backpack" patched together with squares of red felt and majenta and rose-striped fleece and bits and pieces of denim and faux leather and the like, and the possibly handmade, brightly colored, wool blanket the teen was folding and handing to Dr. Reid, who put it in the "backpack."

Once he was seated again, the teen thanked him then focused her attention on Savannah. "Hi!" she said, oddly cheerful. "My name's Amy. You may have heard of me on the news, but that really doesn't matter. I have a feeling we'll be great friends."

Savannah's eyes widened. "Amy...as in Amy Nickhoales?"

Amy's smile drooped at the corners some. "Yep. That's me!"

Savannah's jaw dropped. She was meeting her idol of late! "I...I don't know what to say. I mean, I've never met someone I've heard about before. I..."

Amy laughed. "I can tell!"

Savannah pressed her hand to her mouth to cover her smile, trying to supress her laughter. She had been taught it was impolite to laugh in front of others by her first foster family, as well as many more things. "Do not trust men" was on that list, along with "Never speak unless spoken to" and "Do as you are told and no more" and "It is important to look great everyday because you never know when is a first-impression moment."

Amy sighed, then stopped breathing, her eyes widening. After thirty seconds, she continued breathing, but it was short and ragged, her eyes bugging out from the sockets.

"Amy?" Dr. Reid asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

She blinked, returning to normal. "Huh?" She met his worried eyes, then looked at her still lap. "Oh. It happened again, didn't it?"

Dr. Reid nodded slowly. "Yes, it did."

Amy sighed. "Sorry everyone. It happens."

Savannah thought, What _happens?_

Dr. Reid nodded. "PTSD," he said, almost as if reading Savannah's thoughts.

Miss Peterson nodded as Mrs. Meyes came back in holding a small tray. "I understand completely."

Mrs. Meyes placed the tray down on the coffee table. "The times where you wish you had more hands always come when you need to carry beverages!"

Everyone minus Savannah (who pressed her hand to her lips again) laughed.

Mrs. Meyes handed Miss Peterson her coffee. "Coffee for you, V8 for James (how you drink that stuff I shall never know), cranberry juice for Amy, coffee for Spencer, and orange juice for Savannah. I would have brought everyone milk and cream but I just discovered that the store sold me spoiled dairy products, so I'll have to go out and get more. I'll be right back. Let me just go put this away-"

"Hon, sit down, relax. You haven't stopped moving since you woke up at five thirty this morning!" Mr. Meyes said.

Savannah's eyes widened, widening further when Mrs. Meyes replied, "I had so much to do in preparation! Everything had to be just perfect for your arrival, Savannah."

"Perfect...for me?" Savannah asked, shocked.

"Of course! It's been five years since I've fostered a child, so I forget your expectations of us foster parents are so low. Then when I do, part of me says, 'Prove to her that you can be better than whatever she's experienced!' so I go all-out," Mrs. Meyes said, then calmed down some. "But, I'm going to need your help for part of it."

"Oh? Why would you need my help when you've done so much without me?" Savannah asked, no longer following those rules she suddenly found silly.

"Because I want you to be happy," Mrs. Meyes said, then took her husband's hand as she sat on the arm of his chair. "I sit corrected" - she giggled - "_we_ want you to be happy. You are all we can have."

Tears suddenly formed in Savannah's eyes. No one had ever wanted her to be happy before. "I...really? Oh thank you!"

Mrs. Meyes smiled, tears forming in her own eyes. "You are so very welcome. I just hope this is as successful as the last one, but ends on a much happier note."

Miss Peterson nodded. "I highly doubt lightning strikes the same spot twice."

Mrs. Meyes simply looked at her lap. "I should hope not."


	2. Two-Aryanna

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the delay in this update. I've been a bit busy and had a shameful case of writer's block for this chapter. Despite that, I am determined to add to this story tonight!**

* * *

Aryanna forced herself to smile again. That was the past. This was now. Savannah was her second chance. She'd do it right this time.

Turning her attention to the black-haired girl, she smiled and asked, "Would you like to choose your room?"

Savannah's eyes widened. "I get to choose?"

Aryanna laughed. "Of course! You have three options. Just remember we'll go shopping for decorations and better furniture and paint tomorrow, or even start later today if you want."

Savannah pressed her hand to her lips again, her eyes creasing up as if to smile. "I don't know what to say. This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

Aryanna's heart broke. Erika had said something similar when they first met. "Well, you can start by telling me if you want to choose your room now or later."

Savannah stood, and Aryanna smiled. "I take it you'd like to do that now."

Savannah nodded quickly.

"Alright, follow me." Aryanna stood, and made her way over and up the stairs. "Now, the paint's original, but we can cover over it with whatever paint you want. These bedrooms used to be guest rooms, considering we don't have other kids, but depending on which room you like, we can change up the furniture and get decorations and stuff." Aryanna stopped in front of the door closest to her own bedroom. "This one's small but well-lit." Opening the door, she stepped inside, followed by Savannah, who gasped.

The room was pretty small, with only a small bed, nightstand, dresser, desk, and three table lamps. The walls were a light beige color, the floor hardwood, the door and window trim white. There were two windows that let in enough light during the day, but that was really it.

"This is very nice," Savannah said.

"Well, the other two are bigger and better," Aryanna said, and led the gawking child to the room two doors down. "This one, for example, is double the size with an area rug and a ceiling lamp and fan."

Savannah gasped again. This room was painted a pale yellow with light hardwood floors and a soft, braided area rug under and around the bed. There was also a bigger desk, dresser, two nightstands, a hope chest at the foot of the bed, a bookshelf, and a small closet. There were also five table lamps set up as well as two windows.

"I like this one even more," Savannah admitted.

Aryanna smiled. "Well, there is still one more room to see, and I'm almost positive you'll like that one the best."

Savannah turned around. "Show me," she said politely.

"So I shall," Aryanna replied, and led the child to the third room.

Savannah was obviously very pleased with this room. The walls were white, the floor the same as the second room with a bigger, softer, pink and green ringed area rug under and around the queen bed. There were two nightstands, an even larger desk and dresser, a walk-in closet, a drawing table, another hope chest, and three windows, one of which had a window seat with a purple cushion and pink, green, and brown throw pillows. There was a ceiling light and fan, along with three wall lamps and four table lamps, as this room faced the east but was shaded by large trees.

Savannah raced over to the window seat. "I like this room. I like this room a lot."

Aryanna smiled. "Is this one your favorite?"

Savannah nodded. "Most definitely."

"Then it's yours."

Savannah stood again, then, after a few moment's hesitation, ran over and hugged Aryanna. "Thank you, Mrs. Meyes."

Aryanna bit her lip to keep from crying. "You are most definitely welcome, Savannah my dear."

Savannah pulled away, blushing. "Sorry."

Aryanna shook her head, smiling. "No need to be sorry. It's okay to hug people. It took my first child to learn that, too. It took her a while to also learn it's okay to smile and laugh and have fun. Fun is beauty. Nothing can ever replace that, no matter what one looks like or has been through."

Savannah's face said a world of things, including relief and confusion. "It...is?"

Aryanna nodded. "Of course! One must have fun in order to live life to the fullest." Aryanna leaned up against the door frame as Savannah sat at the desk. "Now, are you hungry?"

As if on cue, Savannah's stomach grumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes," Aryanna said with a wink. Savannah giggled. "Should we go out for lunch? If we do, we can also pick out paint for your room and decide on color schemes and stuff when we get back. I find it easier if we have a list of ideas for what you want in your room, because then we can build from there when we go shopping shopping tomorrow."

Savannah shrugged. "Whatever is easier for you, I suppose."

Aryanna pursed her lips. "Let's see: I don't have anything planned for lunch, and I already have to go out and get stuff for dinner tonight...I say we go out for lunch and pick paint, and then we can muse over what you want for dinner. Sound like a plan?"

Savannah nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

Aryanna smiled. "Alright! Let's go!"

She and Savannah made their way back downstairs. Marcy was laughing with Spencer and James, Amy's face red with possible embarrassment. "What's going on down here?" Aryanna asked.

Amy turned her head to face her. "Spencer made fun of me."

Spencer could hardly stop laughing. "I was not making fun of you. I was pointing out how funny it is when you..." He couldn't finish his sentence he was laughing so hard.

Aryanna shook her head. "The people I am related to and the people I marry."

James sighed, smiling. He suddenly caught on to what she was suggesting. "Hey!"

Aryanna turned to James, who stood up and walked over to her. "Well, you're embarrassing her!"

James rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Nothing could possibly embarrass her that badly."

Aryanna was about to protest but he pressed his lips gently on hers, silencing her. He pulled away, turning to go into the kitchen. She glared at him, he stuck out his tongue. She stuck out his tongue back and giggled, shaking her head. Turning back to the others, she said, "Well, Savannah and I were tossing around ideas - well, more like I suggested we go out to lunch considering I now have to go buy fresh cream cheese and feta and all the lovely dairy products I had to throw out-"

"God, what's that smell in here?!" James asked from the kitchen.

"Probably the feta in the garbage. Would you mind emptying the trash before it stinks up the whole house?" Aryanna called back.

"No problem! Geeze it reeks!" James complained, but soon the sound of the back door opening and closing told her he'd emptied the trash.

Amy said, "Anyways, you were saying?"

Aryanna turned back to those in the living room. "Right! So, who's up for something other than fast food?"

Everyone cried in unison, "ME!"

Aryanna nodded. "I thought so! JAMES!"

James stood behind her. "What?"

She jumped. "I didn't see you there. What do you say we do Panera?"

James stuck out his tongue in protest. "Bleh!"

Amy gasped in fake shock. "How could you not like Panera Bread?! It's one of the best places for lunch...ever!"

"It's _healthy_!" James exclaimed, and everyone laughed, Savannah pressing her hand to her lips again.

Spencer stood. "Well, who cares?"

Amy nodded. "Agreed!"

Marcy placed her mug on a coaster. "It's a bit pricy, no?"

Aryanna shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Ha! Easy for you to say!"

Aryanna rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do you suggest, then Savannah?"

The young girl's eyes widened, giving Aryanna a deer-in-headlights stare. "What? I mean, I don't know."

"What is it you want for lunch?" Aryanna asked.

"Grilled cheese," Savannah blurted out.

Aryanna thougth for a moment. "You know what? I may just have cheese that hasn't gone bad yet. Who's up for grilled cheese and tomato soup?"

Everyone voiced their consent.

"Alright, let me get the griddle going."

* * *

Hours and seven card games, three packages of Kraft American cheese, two loaves of bread, three cans of tomato soup, and one jar of pickles later, Marcy decided to leave for the evening.

"Are you sure you can't stay for dinner?" Aryanna asked as the social worker slipped on her suit jacket.

Marcy fixed her jacket and sighed. "I'm sorry. I'd love to, but I have work I still have to get done before I can put away her file for a while."

Aryanna smiled sadly. "I understand. Well, it was nice having you. Stop by anytime."

James nodded, wrapping his arm around Aryanna's waist. "You're always welcome."

Marcy smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Savannah. "You take care now, okay? I really don't think this will be a problem, but anytime you need me, you just call, okay?"

Savannah nodded. "Okay."

Marcy smiled, tweaking the girl's nose. "Like I said: I highly doubt you'll need me. You'll probably call me to say you're getting adopted or something like that."

Aryanna bit her lip. Miley Gran had said the same thing to Erika...

"Take care now," Marcy said.

"You too. Goodbye," Aryanna said.

"Goodbye," James said, nodding.

"Bye," Savannah said softly.

Marcy smiled, waved, and walked down the cobblestone path to her Toyota, got in, started the car, and drove away.

Spencer sighed. "So."

Amy nodded. "So buttons."

Savannah pressed her hand to her lips, giggling.

Aryanna chuckled. "Yes, sew buttons."

Amy beckoned Savannah over, and the two started talking, Spencer joining their conversation. Aryanna watched them, smiling. This could be a good thing...

James sighed, looking at Aryanna with love. "Whatchya thinkin', love?"

Aryanna sighed. "I don't know what to do for dinner now," she lied.

"Want me to go run out and get something?" James asked, kissing her cheek.

Aryanna shook her head. "Naw, we might as well order delivery."

"You sure?" James asked. "I'm perfectly fine with getting a bird and potatoes."

Aryanna laughed quietly. "Oh I'm sure you'd like those potatoes more than the chicken itself."

James shrugged. "Possibly."

Aryanna giggled as he kissed her lips softly. "It's up to you, sweetheart. Delivery or chicken. It's greasy and unhealthy either way."

"Hey, I drink my V8. I'm good!" James said, making Aryanna laugh. He wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her closer and kissing her ear. "You want me to go out and get chicken?"

Aryanna sighed. "Alright, sure. Why not? But that's only because I really don't feel like pizza and mozzarella and zucchini sticks. Tomorrow, though, I am definitely cooking us a decent dinner."

James smiled. "Alright, sounds fair." He kissed her cheek again before letting her go, grabbing his keys and jacket. "I'll be right back." They gave each other three quick pecks on the lips before he opened the door and left, unlocking the car as he walked.

Aryanna watched him drive off from the window, arms crossed, a faint smile on her face.

"Where'd he go?" Spencer asked, standing and walking over to her.

Aryanna turned to her brother. "Huh? Oh, he went to go pick up a chicken and stuff for dinner. I don't feel like delivery and I have nothing to cook that's still good. We ate the cheese, bread, and soup. I can't make a decent chicken before eight, and I kinda don't feel like cooking."

Spencer smiled. "I understand. You've probably overworked yourself, that's all."

Aryanna sighed, her right hand rubbing the back of her neck. "I just want everything to be perfect. I want her to be happy."

"And she will be," Spencer said. "Just give her time. All the choices and stuff's a bit much for a kid who's coming from next to nothing."

Aryanna sighed again, looking out the window. "I can't help but wonder if I've moved too fast."

Spencer looked at the ground. "It's been five years, Ar. You have a new life with James now. Everything will be fine. You just have to move on."

"I don't know if I can, Spencer. She was so attached to us, and I was so attached to her. What they did to us..." Aryanna started, choking up.

Spencer put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It's done. It's over. There's nothing you can do about it now besides move on. Erika...Erika's gone. So is Sean. You are now Aryanna Meyes, and hopefully, Savannah will become Savannah Meyes if everything goes right."

"If only she were becoming Savannah Smith like Erika," Aryanna said. "Then everything just might have been perfect."

Spencer sighed, shaking his head. "Ar, it doesn't matter. Savannah's still Savannah whatever-her-last-name-is-"

"Matthews," Aryanna interjected. "Savannah Matthews."

Spencer paused. "Alright then. Savannah's still Savannah Matthews for the time being, and you're now Aryanna Meyes. It's more than time to let go of the past and focus on the future." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Besides, James loves you more than Sean did."

Aryanna shook her head. "That's not true. You don't know enough about Sean to say that's true."

Spencer shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But I haven't seen you fight with James once yet. You and Sean..."

"Let's not go there, shall we?" Aryanna asked. "I'm done talking about it for tonight. No more."

Spencer backed off a bit. "Alright. I just hope you know it's time to let go and move on."

Aryanna nodded. "Yeah? And I'm telling you I don't want to hear it anymore tonight. Come on. James is pulling up."

* * *

Another three hours later, Spencer had helped Amy over to their guest bedroom on the first floor for convenience, and Aryanna was clearing the dinner and dessert plates. The cheesecake James had bought along with the chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and sauerkraut had been devoured, leaving hardly even crumbs on anyone's plate nor the container.

Savannah followed Aryanna into the kitchen, holding plates and silverware. "Where do you want me to put them?"

Aryanna looked up from the dishwasher. "Huh? Oh, uh, put them here on the counter. I'll rinse them and put them in here shortly."

Savannah nodded, doing as she was told. "Anything else I can do to help?"

Aryanna stood, turning on the sink and giving the plates a good rinse before placing them in the dishwasher. "I don't think so. Why don't you go get ready for bed? It's already nine." On a second thought, Aryanna added, "That is, if you normally go to bed at nine."

Savannah shrugged. "I've never really had a specific 'bedtime.' No one really cared if I slept or not."

Aryanna frowned. "Well, I'm usually in bed by nine thirty, ten o'clock. I don't suggest staying up much later than eleven. You need your sleep, and we have some work to do tomorrow. I have errands to run besides just helping you pick out stuff for your room. My errands have to wait until we're coming home, though, considering I have to buy food and refill my prescriptions."

"You have to take medication?" Savannah asked.

Aryanna turned off the faucet. "Yes, yes I do."

Savannah frowned. "Oh. I didn't know that."

Aryanna shrugged as she wiped her wet hands on a dishrag before closing the dishwasher. "It's not all that important. All it's for is asthma and stuff to make sure my ovarian cancer doesn't come back."

Savannah's eyes widened. "You had cancer?"

Aryanna nodded grimly. "Back in my teens, yeah. They had to remove both my ovaries, meaning no kids for me. That was fine by me - I'd always wanted to foster and adopt. It was part of my disposition, people said."

Savannah nodded, then yawned.

Aryanna smiled. "Well, I'm going to try to catch some sleep. You should try to as well."

Savannah shrugged. "Alright."

Aryanna sighed, and left the kitchen, flipping the switch once Savannah was out as well. The child raced up the stairs and into her bedroom, quietly closing her door after turning on the light.

James exited the downstairs bathroom as Aryanna leaned up against the wall next to the stairs, eyes closed. "Something wrong?"

Aryanna opened her eyes. "Hmm?"

James smiled. "Tired?"

She smiled back, rubbing her left eye as he pressed up against her. "Yeah. Long day."

James looked into her eyes. "You did good. Not bad for the first time in a long time."

Aryanna sighed. "I will never make a good mother."

James shook his head. "Don't say that. You really didn't get the chance to be one. This is your second chance."

She sighed, leaning her head into his chest, not hearing the click of Savannah's bedroom door nor her soft footsteps as she walked over to the stairs. "I just hope I don't do something stupid like last time."

James shook his head, placing his hands on her back. "You didn't do anything stupid. It wasn't your fault."

"Then how come I'm still here?" Aryanna said, looking up at him, tears in her eyes.

James' smile faded as he stared into her eyes. "I don't know, but I'm going to say luck."

"Good night," Savannah called down.

Aryanna looked up, taking in the faded pink flannel nightgown. "Oh, good night, sweetheart."

Savannah paused for a moment, then shrugged.

"Good night, Savannah," James said.

"Good night, Mr. Meyes." With that, Savannah turned and re-entered her room, closing her door behind her.

Aryanna sighed. "See what I mean?"

James shook his head. "No." With that, he kissed her. The two kissed for a little while before Aryanna finally broke away, smiling again. The couple headed upstairs to their mahogany, blue, and green bedroom, he slipping out of his clothes and into the T-shirt and shorts he wore to bed, she slipping into black lingerie. After turning on their bedside lamps, James turned off the ceiling lamp and the two crawled under the covers. After turning off their bedside lamps, Aryanna slid over closer to James' warm body. He smiled - she could sense it - and fiddled with her hair as she rested her head on his chest. After a little while, the two kissed and eventually fell asleep.


	3. Three-Savannah

**Author's Note:**

**So soon, I know. I just really don't feel like falling asleep right now...**

**Too late-I fell asleep after writing three sentences.**

**To continue...and no, I'm not neglecting my other stories. I happen to be suffering from lack of time and writer's block.**

**Crap! I'm doing this on my phone, so I accidentally hit the back button and boom! There went the huge hunk of dialogue I had just written. Man! That was good dialogue, too! Crap!**

* * *

Savannah woke to the morning sun streaming through the sheer violet curtains pre-hung in her new room. She smiled, smelling delicious breakfast foods: sausage, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Savannah sat up, stretched, and got up and out of bed, throwing on a quick T-shirt and pair of cropped jeans before racing downstairs.

"Good morning," Mrs. Meyes said from the stove, wearing a red gingham apron over a sky blue summer dress. In front of her was a frying pan filled with sizzling bacon, next to it a griddle with pancakes in the making. Also being made were scrambled and sunny-side up eggs, sausage, and fresh coffee. Savannah's nose did not deceive her.

"Good morning," Savannah replied.

Mr. Meyes walked out of the bathroom, hald-dressed in slacks and a T-shirt. "Good morning, Savannah. How'd you sleep?"

Savannah shrugged. "Okay, I guess." In truth, it was one of the bests sleeps she'd ever had. The bed was so comfy, so warm, so big...

Mr. Meyes smiled. "Are you hungry? Once she's done we're going to have breakfast."

Mrs. Meyes turned her head to the conversation slightly. "Well, we're waiting for Spencer and Amy as well, but I don't think they'd mind us starting without them, especially since Amy hates it when people wait just for her."

Savannah shrugged. "It would be nice if we waited for them either way."

Mr. Meyes put his hand on Savannah's back, countering around her as Amy and Dr. Reid's door opened. Mr. Meyes ran over, pressing the door flat inside the room so Amy's wheelchair could fit through the narrow doorway.

"There we go!" Mr. Meyes said cheerfully.

"Stupid chair," Amy complained.

Mr. Meyes shrugged. "Eh. Remind me while we're at Lowe's to pick up stuff so I can fix this doorway so it isn't a problem anymore."

Mrs. Meyes nodded. "Add it to the list," she said, pointing to a refrigerator magnet to-do list full of blue, red, and black ink. "That is, if you can find room."

Mr. Meyes sighed. "That's why there are more pages to this thing..." He stopped as he kept turning pages. "Hon, what is all this for?!"

"Food, for one thing," Mrs. Meyes said, turning around with a platter of food in her hands. "Someone mind grabbing the orange juice and the coffee?"

Dr. Reid nodded, going into the fridge and pulling out a carton of orange juice. "What about V8 for you, James?"

Mr. Meyes looked at Dr. Reid in confusion for a moment, then said, "You know, after seeing this, I'd better stick with coffee."

Mrs. Meyes pouted playfully. "C'mon, it's not _that_ bad."

Mr. Meyes exchanged looks with Dr. Reid. "What do you think?"

Dr. Reid looked at the list. "Nothing on that surprises me."

Mrs. Meyes smiled. "Now are we going to stand here until Eloïse shows up or are we going to sit down and eat breakfast?"

Amy nodded. "I'm starved."

Dr. Reid nodded. "I'm up for eating. Eloïse'll have to join us."

Mrs. Meyes nodded. "Alright. To the dining room!"

Mr. Meyes quickly countered around his wife as he went to grab the coffee pot. Turning to Savannah, he said, "I hope you like pancakes and bacon. It's kind of routine around here for breakfast."

Savannah nodded. "Whoever doesn't like bacon is out of their mind. Pancakes are fantastic any time of day."

"Agreed!" With that, Mr. Meyes led her into their dining room.

Breakfast was delicious. Dr. Reid and Mr. Meyes hogged up a conversation, but then Mrs. Meyes took that opportunity and turned to Savannah and Amy sayng, "Who needs men when they can't keep everyone in their conversation?"

Amy laughed. "Or can't keep up with ours!"

Savannah giggled. She liked this family already.

Soon, a cherry red Ferrari drove up to the house. Dr. Reid smiled. "Here comes Eloïse!"

Amy giggled. "I wonder if she brought Dom?"

Mr. Meyes stood and walked over to the door.

"It doesn't sound like it. That, and she's probably either coming home from work or on her way to work. I forget what she told me she was doing today," Mrs. Meyes said.

"Hello!" said Mr. Meyes as he opened the door.

"Gee, I didn't even have to knock!" A young woman with curly brown hair wrapped Mr. Meyes in a friendly hug. "It's good to see you again!"

"Yes, it's always a pleasure, Eloïse," Mr. Meyes said. "C'mon in. I'm sure Spencer would love to see you."

As if on cue, Dr. Reid put down his napkin, stood, and was by the finely dressed Eloïse in an instant. "Hey beautiful!"

Eloïse smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey handsome!" They kissed.

Savannah felt it rude to stare, but she couldn't help but examine the young lady's outfit. Eloïse wore a black silk, knee-length pencil skirt with a peach peasant blouse, nude stockings, and black, chunky four-inch heels. On her left arm hung a black leather chelsea purse, and on her left wrist was a silver Pandora bracelet chock full of charms. The silver engagement ring on her left ring finger told Savannah that Eloïse and Dr. Reid were engaged. The ID card hanging on the purple lanyard around her neck told Savannah that Eloïse was either on her way to work or on her way home from work.

Eloïse finally let go of Dr. Reid and, taking his right hand in her left, walked over to Amy. "Hello everyone!"

Amy turned her head and looked up, smiling. "Hey Eloïse!"

Mrs. Meyes stood and walked over to Eloïse, hugging her. "Oh I'm so glad you made it!"

Eloïse laughed. "Me too! Breakfast smells delicious!"

Amy laughed; Savannah pressed her hand to her mouth again to suppress the giggles, then nixed it and giggled outright. "It sure is!" the two girls said in unison.

Eloïse took a step back. "What did you do, synchronize that ahead of time?" The brunette laughed then then turned her happy gaze to Savannah. "You must be Savannah. I'm Eloïse, Spencer's fiancé."

Savannah smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Very polite!" Eloïse sat next to Dr. Reid finally, accepting a glass of orange juice poured for her by Mr. Meyes and a plate of food from Dr. Reid. "Why thank you! I feel so pampered here!"

"That's the Meyes' hospitality," Dr. Reid said. "Oh, and um, are you going to finish those eggs?"

Eloïse set down her fork and glared at him playfully. "Can I enjoy my food for once? This is my first sit-down meal in twenty-four hours and I'd like to enjoy it!"

Dr. Reid threw up his hands in defeat. "Alright! Fine! But I will gladly finish anything you do not."

Mrs. Meyes laughed quietly as she sipped some orange juice. "You two are too cute."

"Says the younger sister," Dr. Reid said.

"And? You two are probably the cutest couple I know besides Mr. and Mrs. Greer down the street. The cutest thing about them is that they've been married for seventy six years now and are so in love but don't show it."

"Kinda like you and Sean, except you two were twenty and twenty four and so intent on maintaining a relationship that you forgot to enjoy it," Dr. Reid said, looking at his sister from over his raised coffee mug.

Savannah had never heard anyone mention the name Sean before, but she could tell it was for a good reason: Mrs. Meyes quite suddenly stood and fled into the kitchen angrily.

Mr. Meyes sighed. "Nice going, Spencer. You know just how to touch the wrong chords."

Dr. Reid set his mug down with emotion. "What am I supposed to do, pretend it never happened?!"

"At least you could let her cope the way she feels best!" Mr. Meyes shouted.

"She needs to move on!"

"And she will! Give her some time!" Mr. Meyes said, standing.

"I've already given her five years! What more can I do?" Dr. Reid asked, calming down some.

"She's starting. Who knows how long it will take her? It'll be however long she needds if I have any say in it." Wih that, Mr. Meyes walked into the kitchen after his wife.

Eloïse looked at Dr. Reid in confusion. "What was that all about?"

"I'll explain later," her fiancé replied, putting up an exasperated hand.

_So she knows nothing either,_ Savannah thought. _But what does that mean for me?_

Amy shook her head, eyes slowly widening then returning to normal. "Spencer, why won't you leave her alone about this? Can't you see she's still suffering? What makes what she's been through any different than what I went through?"

"Because you had no one left afterward," Dr. Reid said as Mr. and Mrs. Meyes returned to the dining room. "She still has people left."

Amy sighed. "It's still...forget it."

Savannah looked at Mrs. Meyes, whose eyes were red and wet. Eloïse shared her concern, as she asked, "Are you okay?"

Dr. Reid rubbed his temples as Mrs. Meyes said, "Yeah. I'm fine." As if to confirm it, she forced herself to smile and turn to Savannah. "After they leave, I was thinking of going out with you to start selecting the stuff you want for your room. What do you think?"

Dr. Reid sat back in his seat and said, "What happens if we never leave?"

Mrs. Meyes' eyes widened. "Don't...please don't say again. Please."

Dr. Reid looked at her in confusion then, eyes widening as well, said, "Oh God, I'm sorry. I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Aryanna."

Mrs. Meyes closed her eyes, putting up a hand. "It's okay. Forget it. You're right, I need to move on. I just...can't."

Amy nodded. "I understand."

Eloïse pulled out a phone from her chelsea handbag and gasped. "My, would you look at the time!"

Mrs. Meyes sighed. "Let me guess, you're running late for a very important date?"

Amy laughed. "Actually..." She drifted off as her eyes widened and she began to hyperventilate. Dr. Reid took her hand, bringing her back to the real world. "Thanks."

"Actually, I have dress-fitting and Spence has to get measured for his tux," Eloïse said, standing.

Mrs. Meyes smiled. "That's always my favorite part of the wedding process besides cake tasting and the actual wedding."

Eloïse smiled. "I love doing the designing for weddings, but I never thought I'd have to do it for myself! I'm so glad I do, though..." She trailed off as she and Dr. Reid locked eyes.

Mrs. Meyes smiled. "Here, Amy. Let me help you." The woman walked around the table to Amy, who was struggling to get her wheelchair through to her guest room.

"Thanks," Amy said as the two entered the room.

Mr. Meyes turned to Savannah. "Well, what are you thinking of doing for your room?"

Savannah thought for a moment. "I kinda like the current theme of it, with the pink, purple, mint green, and chocolate brown, but the stripes are too...uniform. I'm thinking either polka dots or solid color with splatter paint paintings hanging all over the place."

Mr. Meyes nodded. "I see what you mean. I mean, it's a classic 'girl' thing, but I personally like those colors together (although I personally prefer green, blue, and mahogany better). It was one way I helped in getting that particular room set up. Maybe..." Mr. Meyes held up a finger and disappeared into the kitchen, returning with Sticky Notes and a pen. "Maybe, if we take the purple you like and do that as the background, them have in the foreground a sea of multi-colored dots at the bottom, slowly fading up to solid color as the wall moves up..." He drew the half-circles and circles on the Sticky Notes at the bottom overlapping each other, then scattered the other dots all over, the number of dots becoming fewer and fewer as the eye traveled up the Sticky Note. "...like that. What do you think?"

Savannah smiled. "My thoughts exactly. And then we could have some of the dots and half-circles lined in a gold paint or something."

Mr. Meyes smiled. "You could make a great interior designer someday."

Savannah shook her head. "No..."

"I think so. This was more your idea than mine."

"If you say so..." Savannah said, blushing.

Mr. Meyes smiled at her as Mrs. Meyes and Amy came out of the bedroom, a small overnight bag in Amy's lap.

Dr. Reid stood and walked over, taking the bag from Amy's lap. "Wow you two are quick packers!"

Amy shrugged. "You didn't bring much, and I didn't take out much."

Dr. Reid sighed. "You're right. As always."

Amy smiled. "The best part of being female."

"And having an eidetic memory," Savannah added.

Amy nodded. "That too."

Eloïse smiled, standing. "Well, I hate to eat and run, but we really have to go. Domonick's meeting us there, he said, so I'd hate to keep him waiting."

Amy nodded. "Don't want him getting the wrong ideas about our safety."

Mrs. Meyes wrapped Eloïse in a hug. "Well, it was good seeing you again. Maybe next time you can, you know, enjoy your meal."

Eloïse laughed. "Here I am _bound_ to enjoy it!"

"Take care now, Amy," Mrs. Meyes said as Eloïse moved on to hug Mr. Meyes.

"I most certainly will, Aryanna. You do the same," Amy replied.

"I'll try. If you need me, call me, okay?" Mrs. Meyes said.

"I will. The same goes for you. I mean it," Amy replied.

Mrs. Meyes nodded. "I will, Amy."

Amy wheeled her way over to Mr. Meyes, and Eloïse came over to Savannah as Dr. Reid went to Mrs. Meyes.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Savannah," Eloïse said.

"It was nice meeting you, too, Eloïse."

"I'll be seeing you soon, alright?"

Savannah nodded. "I look forward to it."

Eloïse smiled.

Amy turned her attention to Savannah, who walked over to the paralyzed teen. "It was so nice to meet you, Savannah. I hope we get to see each other again real soon," Amy said with a smile.

"Same here," Savannah replied, giving Amy a quick, gentle hug.

"Oh, you can squeeze harder than that!" Amy joked. Savannah did, finding herself smiling more afterward. "Thanks."

Savannah nodded, her gaze shifting to Mrs. Meyes and Dr. Reid.

Mrs. Meyes was close to tears. "I know. You tell me all the time. I just hope that this was for the best."

Dr. Reid placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I know it was. You're doing fine. I'm sorry I'm so hard on you. I guess I look at you and see so much more than what you see. I see a mother in you. You're going to make this work, I know it."

"I wish I had your confidence," Mrs. Meyes said as Dr. Reid wrapped her in a hug.

Dr. Reid smiled. "You have it, I have no doubt."

The two released each other, and Dr. Reid turned to Mr. Meyes. "James."

"Spencer," Mr. Meyes said.

"Good seeing you again," Dr. Reid said, accepting Mr. Meyes' man-hug.

"Same on this end," Mr. Meyes agreed.

"Nice meeting you, Savannah," Dr. Reid said.

"Nice meeting you, too, Dr. Reid," Savannah replied.

"Please, call me Spencer."

"Nice to meet you too, then, Spencer," Savannah corrected herself.

Spencer smiled.

After a few more general "Goodbyes" and "Take cares" and "I love yous," Spencer, Eloïse, and Amy were driving away in Eloïse's cherry-red Ferrari, leaving Mrs. Meyes in Mr. Meyes' arms, smiling and waving from the porch.

Once they vanished around the corner, Mrs. Meyes sighed. "Well, I had better get dressed in something more presentable before we go."

"I'll get the table," Mr. Meyes said.

Suddenly the phone started ringing.

"I've got it," Mrs. Meyes said, rushing inside to the cordless phone by one of the couches. "Hello?"

Mr. Meyes vanished into the kitchen, clearing the table.

"Savannah!" Mrs. Meyes called. "It's for you!"

Savannah walked over. Who would be calling for her so soon?

"It's Miss Peterson," Mrs. Meyes said. "She just wants to see how you're doing."

Savannah nodded, understanding. Miss Peterson always called the day after her drop-off to make sure everything was alright ever since her first foster family didn't work out too well. Taking the phone, she said, "Hello?"

"Hi sweetheart, how are you?" Miss Peterson's sweet voice asked.

"Terrific. This is the best feeling I've had yet," Savannah said as Mrs. Meyes walked upstairs to her room.

"You always say that and then it never works out. Tell me honestly, Savannah. Please. The sooner I can help you, the better."

"That's just it: I'm really liking it here. Mr. and Mrs. Meyes are so nice, despite a little family drama-"

"Family drama?" Miss Peterson asked quite suddenly. "Family drama? Of what kind?"

"Oh, just a little hiccup this morning over breakfast. Nothing to cause alarm. Every family has their disagreements. This one happens to be over moving on from... something," Savannah explained.

She could sense Miss Peterson nodding through the phone. "Well, here's some advice: With this family, don't pry too much. Mrs. Meyes has been through a lot the past five years. I wouldn't stress her out too much." Miss Peterson quickly added, "Not that you would, of course."

Savannah nodded. "I understand. We're going shopping soon for stuff for my room. It's really big, with three windows and a queen bed and a real walk-in closet and everything! Mr. Meyes and I came up with a really cool idea for the walls, and I'm sure Mrs. Meyes and I will find some cool stuff for style and decoration."

"Very cool!" Miss Peterson said, definitely excited for her. "Well, I'll let you go get ready for that then. It sounds like you're going to have a whole lot of fun today, since design is your thing!"

Savannah smiled. "I sure will!"

"Goodbye, Savannah. I'll be checking in on you again soon. I hope to see your room the next time I visit!" Miss Peterson said.

"Okay, Miss Peterson. I look forward to it. Goodbye." The two hung up just as Mrs. Meyes walked downstairs in a cute, spring green, cap-sleeve tee and knee-length denim skirt with a brown belt and cute brown wedges. Her hair, which had been straightened yesterday and in a messy bun this morning, was wavy and held back from her face by a spring green and magenta plaid headband that matched her plaid tote bag nicely. Mr. Meyes - whom Savannah never saw leave the dining room or kitchen after he started clearing the table - followed behind her in jeans, white and black Nikes, and a casual red button-down short-sleeve shirt, a set of car keys in his left hand.

"Ready to go?" Mrs. Meyes asked.

"In a minute. Let me get my shoes," Savannah replied, racing upstairs and into her room, quickly strapping on a pair of sandals her last foster family had gotten her. Grabbing a small, round, red and brown leather shoulder bag with a duck embossed on the flap, Savannah raced back downstairs where Mr. and Mrs. Meyes were waiting, smiling. "I'm ready now."

Mrs. Meyes smiled, no trace of her former sadness on her face at all. "Alright, then let's go!"


	4. Four-Aryanna

**Author's Note:**

**I. Am. Addicted. To. Writing. This. Story! So many ideas, so little time to record them all...must use every moment possible...*mumbles to self*...tee hee...**

**Oh, and to those of you wondering what the heck happened and who "Sean" is and all that chiz, well...*sigh* I intend that all to be reveiled in chapter six, but who knows, it may be reveiled earlier or later, depending on my mood and how much I want you to wait. Just. Keep. Reading...**

**That chapter is already written, unlike every other future chapter...fruckz...**

**Oh, and this will be the last for a while. I'm not only busy, but have been banned from the computer and cell phone for anything other than school. I'm breaking that by writing this.**

* * *

Aryanna let down the window of their silver Subaru, her hair flowing in the wind as they drove to Lowe's. Savannah sat in the back seat, staring at the trees they passed as Aryanna made sure to take the back roads. James drummed his fingers along the dashboard to the song on the radio, "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw.

Aryanna smiled. Everyone seemed content. She knew she would be as long as nothing happened...

"I went sky diving

I went Rocky Mountain climbing

I went two point seven seconds

On a bull named Fu Man Chu

And I loved deeper

I spoke sweeter

I gave forgiveness I'd been denying

And I said some day I hope you get the chance

To live like you were dying," Aryanna sang with the song. This was her song, and it had been for the past five years.

Savannah turned her head to face Aryanna, making eye contact with her through the rear-view mirror. "You're a really good singer."

Aryanna smiled at the compliment. "Thank you! It's from years of voice lessons and continued practice, I suppose."

"And natural talent, of course," James added.

Aryanna blushed, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Maybe."

"I think so," Savannah agreed. "It's a very natural-sounding voice, your singing voice."

Aryanna smiled. "Well thank you, both of you." Changing the subject as she turned down the radio, she said, "So, what have we been thinking of for lunch?"

James stared out the front window. "I don't know...maybe Outback?"

Aryanna manged to glare at him. "Really? Steak?"

James shrugged. "What?! I'm hungry, and I'm in the mood for steak!"

Aryanna shook her head, turning into the parking lot. "We'll have that for dinner. Can you highlight it for me on the list?"

James nodded. "Sure. Then what are we doing for lunch?"

Savannah shrugged. "I don't know."

Aryanna shrugged as well. "Me either. I was hoping you two would have decided by now." When her husband and foster daughter gave her blank stares, Aryanna sighed. "Alright then, we'll decide when we're hungry. We have a few hours now before I personally think we need to eat."

"Alright," James and Savannah agreed.

Aryanna sighed as she parked the van, pulling the key from the ignition. "Alright. Here we are. I know you two will want to get into this, so I'll drop you off here while I go do a few things of my own..." By James' panicked look, she added, "Or I could stay with you...which would you prefer?"

James sighed in relief. "Please come. The last thing I need is losing you."

Aryanna raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're going to lose me by my going two complexes over to pick out stuff for Eloise's bachelorette party?"

James raised both his eyebrows, his response causing Aryanna to burst out laughing. "Bachelorette party? She gets a party and Spencer's refusing to let us throw him one?"

"Alright, fine, I'll join you. But I'm going to be hanging back, since you know your engineering and stuff better than me," Aryanna said. "Although, come to think of it, I do need to stop in here to get paint for that spot in our room."

James' eyes widened as he got out of the car. "That's right! I completely forgot about that!"

Aryanna laughed. "Thank goodness I still remember. It's been what, a year and a half now since we pointed that out?"

James looked at Aryanna with a glint of realization in his dark hazel eyes as he came around the van, Savannah in tow. "Hon, in two days we have our two-year anniversary."

Aryanna's eyes lit up as the van beeped. "That's right! So yeah, a year and a half ago, since we moved in and discovered it. Why do I keep feeling I've only been married to you for a year and a half when it's actually been nearly two years now?"

James shook his head, smiling, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. "I have no idea. Time flies, doesn't it?"

Aryanna nodded, smiling. "Yes, yes it does."

Savannah giggled as she came around to Aryanna's side as the three walked into the Lowe's store.

"I take it you two have some ideas. How can I help?..."

* * *

Hours later, the three were on the road back to the house, paint, stencils, bed sets, hanging lanterns, posters, and so much more in the trunk, waiting to be used in Savannah's room. Aryanna was famished - they'd been so into shopping no one voiced they were hungry - and knew she'd better get a late lunch started as soon as they got home if she and James were to paint Savannah's room for the rest of the afternoon.

"Thank goodness we remembered cold cuts," Aryanna said as they walked through the door with the last of the grocery bags. "Otherwise, I would have nothing to make us for lunch!"

James laughed. "And then you'd make me suffer with Panera Bread!"

Aryanna shook her head. "No, I'm not stupid. I'd probably have to go out and get stuff then."

James put a hand on her shoulder. "I know. I was teasing you."

"Oh." Aryanna started putting away the groceries, acccepting Savanah's offer to help her. Once everything was put away, she took out bread and the cold cuts. "Alright, who wants what? We've got ham, roast beef, turkey, and white American cheese."

James smiled. "You know me. All three with cheese please."

Savannah giggled as Aryanna said, "Okay Mr. Silverstein. You are a rhyming machine." James laughter joinee the child's giggles, and Aryanna bowed, glad everyone was laughing. "You think you can rhyme? Can you rhyme all the time? Can you -"

"Alright, you win! I know your better at it than me!" James said, hardly able to stop laughing.

Aryanna beamed, then turned to Savannah. "What would you like on your sandwich?"

"Just turkey and cheese, please," she said with a smile.

Aryanna smiled back. "Coming right up." She got to making the sandwices, handing Savannah hers and James his before making her own roast beef sandwich. The life she had now was so much different than five years ago, where she'd been a forced vegetarian because of Sean's standing with the animal cruelty prevention societies as spokesman for the ASPCA. Now, with James almost being a strict carnivore, it was strange returning to foods she hadn't dared eat in five years. It took her desire to take care of what she had left for him to even eat slightly healthy.

Aryanna smiled as she entered the dining room and sat next to James. "How are the sandwiches?"

James gave her a strained smile and a thumb's up, his mouth full.

Savannah nodded in agreement. "Very good."

"Good, I'm glad," Aryanna said. "James, when did you want to start painting?"

James set his napkin down and swallowed (he'd wolfed down the sandwich). "Whenever you're ready's fine with me. I just want to get that one spot in our room done first since it's so small compared to her room."

Aryanna nodded. "Alright. If your finished eating, why don't you do that now, since it shouldn't take too long. I'll join you in a minute or two."

James nodded, standing. "Alright, sounds good." Taking his plate, he left the dining room and entered the kitchen. After rinsing his plate and putting it in the dishwasher, he called, "Do you want me to run the dishwasher?"

Aryanna replied, "Please. Thank you, sweetheart."

"Yup! You're welcome." The sound of the dishwasher running soon met Aryanna's ears, and soon James was bounding upstairs with two paint cans and the bag with the brushes, rollers, and stencils.

Aryanna sighed, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Are you okay?" Savannah asked, having finished her sandwich.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just...fine, yeah, I'm fine," Aryanna lied. She, if honest, was extremely stressed out, but there was no reason in telling Savannah and make her think it was her fault.

Savannah didn't buy it. "You sure?"

Aryanna sighed. "Some things are best left unsaid until the right moment. Right now simply isn't that moment."

Savannah looked down at her plate. "Ah. I understand."

Aryanna smiled sadly. "It isn't a very pleasant memory. What's important is that's all it is now, a memory." _Hypocrite_, Aryanna thought.

Savannah nodded. "I see."

Eager to change the subject, Aryanna asked, "So! What are you planning on doing while we paint your room? You're welcome to help us, but you don't have to."

Savannah thought for a moment before replying, "I have a few books Miss Peterson gave me that I can read."

"And if you finish?"

Savannah looked slightly confused, as if it hadn't occurred to her she might finish her books in that time period. "I...don't know."

"You can watch whatever you want on the TV if you finish the books," Aryanna said, standing.

"Thanks!" Savannah exclaimed cheerfully. "That's more than some families ever let us do. Some won't even let their OWN children watch what they want on TV let alone us foster children."

Aryanna frowned. "That's upsetting." Walking over to Savannah, she took her plate and placed the two dishes in the sink. The child followed her upstairs to the room to be painted, where James was laying down painter's tape on the wall where the circles and semi-circles and such would be. He had changed out of his cleaner clothes and into paint-splattered somewhat-baggy jeans and a paint-splattered formerly-white T-shirt.

"So, Savannah, what do you think so far? Will these do for this wall?" James asked, cheating his head to her while still facing the wall where he was finishing a circle close to the ceiling. He may have been tall, but he still needed the ladder to get high enough without straining his neck.

Savannah studied the wall with an analytical eye. "There's so much...space."

"Aryanna suggested it would be a good idea to leave some spaces for the stuff you two had picked out for decorations," James replied.

"Oh! That makes more sense! Okay, then yeah, it's fine," Savannah said.

Aryanna smiled. "Alright. So, grab what it is you're occupying yourself with, and, I suppose you could get occupied?"

Savannah pressed her hand to her mouh again, suppressing the laughter bubbling from her throat.

James smiled, and Savannah left, carrying her duffle bag downstairs. The familiar creak of the sofa met the couple's ears.

Aryanna sighed. "What can I do?"

James pursed his lips in thought. "Well, if I continue taping, I suppose you could start on the back paint. That's this rich magenta color she picked out."

Aryanna nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Hours later, the two had all but one wall done. James was finishing the last few mint green rings around the pastel pink circles, and Aryanna was starting the gold stripes separating the pink from the mint, blowing on the wall occasionally where a few spots seemed wet still. The other walls all had fans and heaters blowing on them to speed up the drying process.

James smiled as the last mint ring was finished. "There."

Aryanna looked at the many circles she still had to do. "So far, so good."

James turned to her, a soft glow in his eyes. "Two more days."

Aryanna smiled, blushing. "Yeah, two days. It feels like so much longer than that."

James smiled, brushing a stray hair from her paint-splattered cheek, one that had escaped the green calico bandana she wore specifically for painting. "Time flies, doesn't it?"

Aryanna closed her eyes. "Yes, yes it does." A few tears dripped from her eyes.

"It'll be fine. We'll be safe. I won't let anyone hurt my family," James said, wiping her eyes with his paint-splattered thumb.

"Don't promise something you can't control," Aryanna said, her voice cracking.

James set down his paintbrush and lifted her chin, his other hand still on her cheek. "Ari, I love you. I'm not about to lie. I will not let anyone hurt my family."

"What if it wasn't your choice? What if you can't do anything to help? James..." Aryanna began to cry.

James wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, the crummy, paint-splattered plaid button-down she wore clinging to him almost as much as she did. "Shhh. Don't say such things. It'll be okay. What happened happened, and is now the past. We have the present and the future to focus on. History may or may not repeat itself. We'll have to deal with it if the time comes. But right now, it hasn't, so there is no need to worry about it."

Aryanna wimpered in his arms, burying her head further into her shoulder. James held her close, letting her cry and let it all out. He knew of her severe emotional changes - she'd be happy one moment then in a crying mess the next - and knew the only thing he really could do was comfort. Aryanna was grateful for that. It was one thing he knew best about her.

Just as they always did, Aryanna's tears soon dried up and she sat up, wiping her eyes with her hands.

James looked her in the eyes with his usual concern. "You okay?"

Aryanna nodded, sniffling. "Yeah, I'm fine now."

James smiled. "Good. I hate it when your're sad. I can never seem to make you happy when you are."

Aryanna laughed silently, and James, who chuckled, leaned over and kissed her, gently pushing her over so she was leaning on her elbows to stay up high enough to kiss back. Eventually she wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping her paintbrush. She ran her fingers through his hair some as he pushed her even further on the ground. They forgot about their surroundings for the time being, only focusing on each other.

Aryanna giggled, separating her lips from James' for fifteen seconds before kissing him again. James lifted her up from the ground, still kissing her as much as possible. Aryanna continued as well, running her nails along his tan skin, tickling him. James chuckled, rubbing his hands up and down her spine, one under her shirt, the other above.

After fifteen minutes, Aryanna opened her eyes slightly as she giggled, and instantly widened them, pulling away from James. "What can I do for you, Savannah?"

James' eyes widened in shock and realization after confusion when she pulled away.

Savannah backed out of the room slowly, her eyes bugged out in fear and shock. "Nothing...I forgot it...nevermind...go back to doing what you were doing..." She quickly turned and ran down the stairs.

Aryanna closed her eyes, her face feeling extremely hot. The last time she had kissed _anyone_ in front of someone else was on her wedding day, and the most recent one was nearly two years ago. This was...entirely different.

James bit back laughter. "That could have been worse."

Aryanna laughed. "Yes, yes it could have been. Thank God I noticed her before it escalated."

James nodded, chuckling. "Continuing tonight?"

Aryanna cocked her head. "Why yes."

James nodded, helped Aryanna to her feet, and continued to paint the gold rings with her. Eventually, they finished, and Aryanna smiled.

"Do you think she'll like it?" she asked.

James chuckled. "I hate to sound full of myself, but we both made it. She'll love it."

Aryanna rolled her eyes, but walked briskly downstairs, where she found Savannah watching Project Runway reruns. "Savannah?"

The black-haired child turned her head after a few seconds. "Yes?"

"The painting's finished."

Savannah's eyes widened. "That should have taken you three days, since there were so many colors!"

Aryanna shrugged. "We sped up the drying process."

Savannah nodded, turned off the TV, stood, and followed Aryanna upstairs to the her freshly-painted room.

The first thing she said was, "Whoa."

Aryanna had to admit, they'd done a good job. Savannah's reaction confirmed it.

"Oh my gosh it's perfect!" she exclaimed. "It's exactly as I pictured it but better! Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" She gave Aryanna quite the hug. "This means so much to me."

Aryanna smiled, hugging back. "You are so welcome. Almost anything for you, Savannah."

James strained to force down a laugh. "Sure, _almost_ anything."

Aryanna glared at him. "There are some things no child should have, which limits what I am willing to give. But l _am_ willing to give _quite_ a bit."

James winked. "I'm just teasing you."

Aryanna released Savannah as she went to to hug James. "You did it, too. Thank you."

"Oh, no problem, Savannah. _I_ am more giving than my wife, so _I_ can say 'anything for you' and leave out the 'almost'," he replied, winking at Aryanna.

Aryanna rolled her eyes. As Savannah turned to look at Aryanna, the woman said, "Oh please. He may be older, but his maturity does _not_ match his age."

James laughed, then, realizing what she had said, exclaimed, "Hey!"

Savannah laughed, and Aryanna smiled. Maybe James was right. Maybe this would all work out...

"Are we going to find places for everything else we bought?" Savannah asked, breaking Aryanna's train of thought.

Aryanna shrugged. "Why not? Let's just save the wall stuff for tomorrow...or Saturday, actually, for the stuff that we'll need James to drill into the wall, AND so the paint can dry more. Everything else, though, can be done if you want."

Savannah nodded quickly. "Let's. Please."

Aryanna smiled. "James, if you would please..."

He took the hint and left the room, returning with a couple of the bags. "Here. I helped."

Aryanna laughed. "Thank you, sweetheart. Why don't you leave us alone to do what us girls do best?"

James nodded. "My plan all along." With that, he left the room, leaving Aryanna and Savannah to the child's desires.

"I'm only here if anything needs moving or if you need someone taller than you to put something up higher than you can reach," Aryanna clarified, sitting at the desk after the two of them had uncovered all the furniture.

Savannah nodded. "And wall stuff's for Saturday?"

Aryanna nodded. "To give the paint more drying time and to make sure James can do the drilling if any is necessary."

"Alright, let's get started..."

* * *

Ten miles away...

"We can see very clearly what's going on inside," said Bacchus over the phone. "We're in a place that cannot be seen from the inside nor noticed from the out."

Father Jupiter nodded. "Alright. Good. Find out...who everyone is, and when is their anniversary. I fear we may be too late."

"Will do, Father Jupiter," Bacchus replied. "I'll get the information as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Bacchus. Do not fail me this time." Father Jupiter hung up the phone. _This may be a long road to victory, but it shall be worth it. Five years is six years too long for one man to wait._

* * *

**Tee hee hee...suspense!**

**Please, read and review!**


	5. Five-Savannah

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the delay. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Sorry for the boringness of the chapter. It will be this way until I get to the case, no doubt.**

**But to continue anyways...**

* * *

Savannah laid back on her soft purple comforter, her right pointer finger absent-mindedly tracing one of the embroidered dots on it. She smiled, then giggled, staring at the one poster she had decided to hang because the wall was deemed "dry enough." It was a picture of a whole bunch of different animals making faces similar to smiles, the text reading: "If a friend ever needs a smile, give her one of these." Savannah liked the poster, not just because it had animals on it, but because it made her laugh when she needed to.

Mrs. Meyes had been rather helpful when it came to layout. Despite the fact that it was supposed to be all Savannah's choice, Savannah had asked the woman for help rearranging some things and placement of others, and after several "But it's your choice, since this is your room"s, Mrs. Meyes had gone out of her way to find various ways for everything to fit and look attractive in the room.

Savannah smiled and closed her eyes. Mrs. Meyes made really good steak. She had offered to teach Savannah how to make steak like that among other foods someday, and Savannah had accepted. Mr. Meyes had made some pretty funny jokes, Spencer had stopped by for a half hour with Eloïse, and everyone had laughed and smiled and talked and had fun. But then Spencer had pulled Mrs. Meyes away and talked to her in private. Mrs. Meyes had come back with eyes red from crying, and Mr. Meyes had simply closed his eyes and shaken his head at his brother-in-law, taking his wife into his arms.

This caused Savannah to frown. What bothered Mrs. Meyes to the point her own brother made her cry by bringing it up? From what did she need to move on from in Spencer's opinion? Who was this Sean person? Miss Peterson had told her not to pry, but Savannah knew some things improved when worries or things like that were shared.

Savannah sighed, glancing at her new clock. The electronic face read 10:34 PM. She needed to sleep. After getting into her old nightgown, she crawled under the covers and turned off her bedside lamp. She rolled onto her right side, then her left, and finally, after tucking her knees against her chest, fell asleep.

* * *

That night, Savannah had the strangest dream.

_She stood in a round room with smooth, red marble walls and cherry wood floors. To her left was a ten-foot fireplace with a massive painting above it. The painting had to have been at least fifteen feet high and twenty feet wide with the elaborate gold frame. To her right was another fireplace and painting. This fireplace was lit, and a long oval table made of oak was in front of it, ringed by fifteen chairs. Thirty feet in front of her was a doorway._

_Savannah began to walk towards the doorway when figures appeared at the table. One was the blonde, poker-playing Mrs. Carsen, another her husband the stout, brunette Mr. Carsen. They were her first foster parents. Nearby were the red-headed couple Mr. and Mrs. Kliegh, her second foster parents, and next to them Mr. and Mrs. Vendinetto, their grey hair spiked all over as if they'd been electrocuted. The rest of her foster parents all were there, too, minus the Meyes. Some remained standing, others sat at the table, but they all seemed deeply engrossed in a conversation._

_Savannah's dream self stopped walking and turned to face them. This was a usual dream. Her former foster parents were going to scold her and berate her and do what made her beg Miss Peterson to remove her from their care, and then her current foster parents were going to join them, be initiated into their "cult," and start being mean to her, too. Eventually that would progress into reality, and Savannah would be moved out of the house and eventually off to another family._

_But her past foster parents simply turned to her and said, "Savannah, they're being too nice to you. You need to do something bad so they will be mean to you. You deserve it, Savannah. They need to be mean to you. They need to teach you your place in this world."_

_Savannah wasn't nervous. "No," her dream self said._

_"No? How dare you stand up for yourself!" The foster parents stood and began to assemble when Mr. and Mrs. Meyes ran in from the doorway Savannah had been heading into._

_Mrs. Meyes wore a beautiful white, floor-length gown with gold trim, Mr. Meyes a white suit with a gold tie and cufflinks. __Savannah noticed her past foster parents all wore red and black. What did this mean?_

_Mrs. Meyes threw her arms around Savannah. "No!" she exclaimed. "I will not let you hurt her!"_

_The past foster parents laughed evilly. "Then you must suffer."_

_Mrs. Meyes nodded. "I'll take it all."_

_Savannah's dream self cried out, "NO!" She started to run slowly over to Mrs. Meyes to intervene, but Mr. Meyes shouted for Savannah to stop. Her dream self did, and she ran over to him and cried into his shoulder as Mrs. Meyes' beautiful form was crushed by Savannah's former foster parents. The white gown she wore was splattered at first with red, but soon that red turned to gold, confusing the other foster parents._

_"Golden blood?" they asked each other._

_Mr. Meyes stood, putting Savannah behind him. "If her bloodshed wasn't enough, will mine suffice?"_

_Savannah screamed. "NO!"_

_He in white and gold walked forward as beckoned by those in black and red. Soon his own suit was stained with red that turned gold, leaving the others in utter confusion._

_"But this is impossible!" they cried. "No one is nice like this!"_

_Savannah's dream self mustered up all her strength and, as the foster parents of her past grouped up and conferred with each other, Savannah dragged Mr. and Mrs. Meyes' bodies out through the door in which they had entered. Savannah stopped once she reached a blinding white light, and, after hearing a wonderful, warm, deep chuckle, the dream faded._

* * *

Savannah woke to blinding sunlight streaming through her windows. She sat up slowly, stretching. What did her dream mean?

Shaking her head, she got up and walked over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of denim capris and a white tank top, taking out a red corduroy jacket from her closet. After getting dressed, she checked the time. It was already 8:47 AM. Seeing this, she nearly bolted downstairs and into the kitchen where Mrs. Meyes stood at the stove, frying up bacon and making an omlete.

"Good morning, Savannah," Mrs. Meyes said with a smile. Her hair was braided down her back and she wore a cream summer dress much like the one she had seen Diane Lane wear as Frances in the movie _Under The Tuscan Sun_. Sure, she wasn't supposed to watch the movie, but her fellow foster siblings had it playing once on their portable DVD player, and so Savannah had watched it with them, thoroughly enjoying it.

"Good morning, Mrs. Meyes," Savannah replied with a yawn.

"Did you sleep well?"

Savannah shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose."

Mrs. Meyes nodded, turning off the burners and flipping the omelet she was making onto a plate along with some bacon. "Go have a seat in the dining room. I'll be in there in just a minute."

"Do you need help?" Savannah offered.

Mrs. Meyes smiled and shook her head, ever the angel. "No, I'm good. Thanks though. Go have a seat."

Savannah nodded and walked into the dining room, sitting in the chair closest to her that wasn't the head. Just as expected, Mrs. Meyes came in and placed the plate she had been making in front of Savannah, having added homemade french fries and grits to the plate.

"If you don't like anything on the plate, don't eat it," Mrs. Meyes said before disappearing back in the kitchen. She reappeared moments later with her own plate and the rest of the grits and bacon and french fries on a tray.

"Thank you," Savannah said, digging in.

Mrs. Meyes smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

The rest of the day passed by uneventful. Mr. Meyes returned home from work around five, they ate grilled chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with homemade gravy, and rolls with butter for dinner around seven, and spent the rest of the night reading, watching TV, and, in Savannah and Mr. Meyes' case, playing three games of chess, two of which Savannah lost.

Around nine, Mrs. Meyes set down her book and yawned. Shaking her head, she walked over to the door and checked the dead-bolt and doorknob lock, then sighed.

Mr. Meyes came out of the downstairs bathroom, wrapped his wife in a hug, and whispered loudly, "Tomorrow's the big day."

Mrs. Meyes smiled, her head falling back on his shoulder. Savannah curled her legs up onto the couch and watched the two of them. Eventually they separated and Mrs. Meyes addressed Savannah. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed. Good night Savannah."

Savannah smiled. "Good night, Mrs. Meyes."

Mr. Meyes held his wife's hand until she was too far away, watching as she made her way upstairs and into their master bedroom. "So...another round of chess before I join her?"

Savannah's smile widened. "Sounds great!"

The two played chess for another hour and a half before Savannah forfeited, knocking over her king. She yawned, stretched, and sighed as Mr. Meyes chuckled, beginning to clear the board and put the pieces in their respective boxes. Savannah yawned again.

Mr. Meyes sighed. "I think we should both 'hit the sack,' so to speak."

Savannah giggled slightly, but nodded. "Same *yawn* here."

Mr. Meyes smiled, taking the board and boxes and storing them in a cabinet in the entertainment center. After stretching, he removed his green and yellow striped tie then led the way upstairs. "Good night Savannah," he said quietly once he reached his door and she reached hers.

"Good night, Mr. Meyes," Savannah replied just as quietly. The two entered their rooms, closing their doors behind them.

Almost as soon as Savannah was in her nightgown, under the covers, and turned off the light, she was asleep.

* * *

Ten miles away...

Father Jupiter made the call. It ran twice before Bacchus answered. "Yes Father Jupiter?"

"What have you found out?"

"We have the gods identified."

Father Jupiter smiled. "Name our gods."

Bacchus rattled them off. "Hera and Zeus with Persephone, Hephaestus and Artemis with Athena, and Aphrodite and...Hades."

Father Jupiter frowned. "We have a Hades?"

"Hera's brother."

Father Jupiter was ready to explode. "Impossible! How had we not seen it five years ago?!"

Bacchus' disappointment was evident through the receiver. "I do not know, Father Jupiter. All I know is we have a Hades, and he is engaged to Aphrodite. Hephaestus is brother to Athena and boyfriend to Artemis. Our last Persephone is much like our current Persephone in terms of relations."

Father Jupiter nodded. "I will need names and faces next meeting. I want them by four AM, Bacchus. Do not fail me."

Bacche replied, "Yes Father. Anyhing else before I go?"

"When is...the anniversary of Hera and Zeus?"

Father Jupiter could almost hear Bacchus' smile through the receiver. "Tomorrow, Father Jupiter. They celebrate two years."

"Perfect," Father Jupiter said, then hung up. _It's about time work got done around here._


	6. Six-Aryanna

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry it's so long, but it's to make up for the shortness of the last chapter.**

* * *

Aryanna woke in James' arms. She smiled. Two years ago, she was waking up in Connecticut with the wedding-day jitters. Now, she knew James was the right choice.

"Good morning," he whispered in her ear, his bare chest warming her almost-bare back.

Aryanna smiled even more, turning her head to face his smiling face. "Good morning."

They kissed, Aryanna turning in his arms to face her body towards his more.

When they released their lips, Aryanna's smile didn't fade. "Happy anniversary, my dear."

James nuzzled her nose. "Happy anniversary, darling."

Aryanna giggled, her hand stroking his strong chest. She trailed her hands up his chest and around his neck, where she clung and pulled herself closer, kissing him again. She giggled as he chuckled, neither wanting to let the other go.

Unfortunately, James' alarm went off, telling them it was seven o'clock and time for James to seriously start getting ready for work. He pulled away reluctantly, Aryanna slipping into the groove where he had just been laying, rubbing her face against his pillow as he shut off the alarm and walked over to the master bathroom, starting the shower a few moments later.

As soon as the shower went off in their bathroom, Aryanna was pulling on a lilac skirt. As James walked out to get dressed, she was contemplating her choices for her blouse: cream and puff-sleeved, matching lilac with a pretty floral pattern, or a soft lime peasant blouse with three-quarter sleeves and cream lace trim. She turned as James was pulling on his tan pants, holding up the cream and the key lime.

James smirked, pointed to the floral lilac one on the bed, and, as Aryanna narrowed her eyes at him (that was the one she'd ruled out), he laughed and pulled her closer, kissing her again. She dropped the two hangers and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him pick her up so her head was level with his (he was a good seven inches taller than she without her wearing heels to make up for it) and not strain to reach her. Eventually her giggling and his chuckling made him put her down, and the two finished getting dressed.

Aryanna ended up wearing a pink asymmetrical skirt that, at its lowest point (which was behind her), went to her ankles, the cream blouse she had selected earlier for the lilac skirt, and a wide black belt that covered the puff where her blouse tucked into her skirt. She set out her favorite wedges just in case she was going out for any reason while James was gone, and soon James - wearing a white, collared, button-down shirt, red and navy blue striped tie, and brown leather belt with his usual brown work shoes - was leading her out of their bedroom. He stopped quite suddenly, turned around, smiled in a devilishly handsome way, and picked Aryanna up in his arms. Aryanna squealed, unprepared for the sudden lift, but then quickly started laughing as he looked her in the eyes, smiling that devilishly handsome smile, his eyes flashing with excitement, and nuzzled her nose with his again before carrying her down the stairs.

Once in the kitchen, Aryanna set to making breakfast, James standing next to her, one arm wrapped around her waist the entire time she made waffles. After she made three waffles, James asked her, "So, my love, what are you thinking of for dinner tonight?"

Aryanna smiled, carrying out the plates to the table, where Savannah was already sitting. "I don't know. Something that I'm not cooking."

"So, we're going out for dinner tonight?" James asked, smiling that same smile.

Aryanna turned to Savannah, setting her plate in front of her. "Good morning, Savannah. I didn't hear you come downstairs."

"You two were being rather loud."

James looked up at the ceiling in an "I'm innocent" fashion. It didn't last: he soon burst out laughing.

Aryanna shook her head, smiling as she set his plate in front of him. "Well, I'm sorry about that."

Savannah waved her hand. "It's alright. It's your anniversary, isn't it?"

Aryanna nodded, James' hand resting on hers before he started eating the waffle (which he'd managed to get blueberries, bananas, and strawberries on as he laughed). "Yes it is. May 28th. Two years."

"It's about time," James said, his excitement dying off a little as he ate. That devilishly handsome smile was sure to reappear that night.

Savannah smiled. "Well, happy anniversary then." With that, she poured some syrup on her waffle, and began to eat.

As the clock ticked closer to eight o'clock, James sighed, standing and taking his plate to the kitchen. Aryanna soon followed with her and Savannah's plates. James wrapped his arms around his wife's waist once the plates were in the dishwasher, pulling her closer.

Aryanna smiled, resting her head on his chest as they swayed there in the kitchen. Finally she lifted her head as he bent down to kiss her again. As soon as they separated, he was racing back upstairs, then racing back downstairs, a navy blue sports jacket on his arm, his leather bag in his other hand. Aryanna was by his side quickly, taking his bag as he put on the sports jacket. She fixed his lapels and smoothed out his collar again, handing him his bag after.

"Alright, I am off. I'll see you around three thirty, five at the latest?" James said after a quick triple-peck on the lips.

Aryanna nodded, smiling. "Sounds good."

"See you later, Savannah!" James said to the child sitting on the sofa watching...some science show on TV.

"Bye, Mr. Meyes!" Savannah replied, turning, smiling, and waving before returning to the show.

Aryanna smiled. They were so close to being a real family after only three days of having her in their house. This was almost too good to be true.

James hugged Aryanna. "Alright hon. I love you."

Aryanna hugged him back. "I love you too. Have a good day at work."

James smiled, giving her another quick kiss before replying. "I will try! Have fun here without me."

Aryanna smiled, watching from the doorway as he walked to his charcoal-grey Jaguar and drove off to work. She stayed there, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, smiling in the sheer knowledge James loved her as she watched the Jaguar drive away down the road.

Savannah said, "What exactly does Mr. Meyes do for a living?"

Aryanna jumped. She hadn't heard the child get up and walk over to her. Calming her shock, she said, "He's a sports journalist. He used to be a baseball player, but then his contract ran up and the team really didn't try to get him back, so he left, becoming a journalist instead."

Savannah nodded. "What do _you_ do, exactly?"

Aryanna walked back inside, closing the door. "I'm a great many things, but I'm more of a stay-at-home person. My job doesn't call me to an office, which is good, I suppose."

"What is your job, then? You still haven't really told me."

Aryanna sighed, closing her eyes as Sean's face flashed in her mind, his voice saying the same words Savannah just did. He'd asked that in the coffee shop where they'd met. "I'm also a journalist, but I'm also an author."

Savannah's eyes widened. "I thought you'd be a model."

Aryanna bit back a curt reply. Sean had said the same thing when they first met. "Why thank you, but no, I'm not. Although occasionally Eloïse asks me to model for some of her clothes."

"She's a designer?"

Aryanna nodded.

Savannah was evidently shocked. "Wow. Two journalists, an FBI agent, a fashion designer...jeez!"

"Don't forget Amy and Domonick," Aryanna said. "They're part of the family in a way."

Savannah nodded. "Amy's a bit of everything and Domonick...wait, who's Domonick?"

Aryanna nearly slapped herself. Savannah hadn't met Domonick yet! "He's Amy's brother. He's kind of a CIA agent."

Savannah's eyes widened further. "But...Domonick Nickhoales _died_!"

"That's what he wanted everyone to believe. It was to protect Amy as well as himself. He knew if Stan knew he'd survived, Stan would not only come after him, but he might have tried to kill Amy as well."

Savannah closed her eyes. "People are so evil these days."

Aryanna shrugged, rubbing her left shoulder with her right hand. "They've been that way forever. We just have the media now that reports everything." Aryanna laughed. "And here I am, a journalist."

"But you're not that kind of journalist, are you?" Savannah asked.

Aryanna turned to the young girl, whose brown eyes were narrowed slightly. "No, I'm not." Before Savannah could say much more, Aryanna bounded upstairs to her office, turning on her beloved laptop and sitting at her desk, close to tears.

* * *

By the time Aryanna felt hungry, she'd heard Savannah enter and exit her room at least five times for the bathroom and once or twice to watch some more TV. Carefully, Aryanna left her office and walked downstairs, making herself a quick cucumber and cream cheese sandwich before trying to think of what to make for lunch for Savannah.

Savannah. Aryanna's mind couldn't help it as it compared Savannah to Erika, and James to Sean. She tried shaking it off, but she couldn't. Sean was so much like Savannah, and James was so much like Erika. Sean probed and probed and probed until finally he got his answer, and Savannah had done something similar that morning. Erika, on the other hand, wouldn't harm a fly, was super athletic, and loved Aryanna like any child would love their mother figure. No wonder she couldn't move on.

Aryanna found herself crying silently as she thought of them, never hearing Savannah walk into the kitchen in periwinkle terrycloth shorts and a white and periwinkle baseball T-shirt.

"Are you okay?" Savannah asked.

Aryanna jumped, setting her sandwich down on a green ceramic plate. "Yeah, I'm fine." She hurried to wipe her reddened eyes.

"You sure?"

Aryanna nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Savannah nodded, obviously not believing her. "Alright." She changed the subject. "What is that you were just eating?"

Aryanna looked down at her sandwich then back at Savannah. "A cucumber and cream cheese sandwich."

Savannah made a face. "Oh."

Aryanna sighed. "It helps me ease hunger pains before I actually eat a meal. It also helps me eat less." _It also helps me relax, but it's failing miserably right now_, Aryanna thought, but she dared not say that aloud.

Savannah nodded. "I would think it would make you eat more so you could drown out the taste."

Aryanna shook her head, smiling at Savannah's Sean-like humor. "No, I think it tastes pretty good, actually."

Savannah mouthed the word "Okay" with wide, disagreeing eyes. Aryanna sighed, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Who's Sean?"

Aryanna dropped the sandwich on the plate, eyes wide, face definitely paling. How did she know she was thinking of Sean? "No one...of importance. Not to you, at least."

Savannah nodded slowly, then shook her head. "If he's important to you, he's going to be important to me, too."

Aryanna closed her eyes, letting the tears that escaped her closed lids fall. "He was my first husband."

Savannah stepped closer. "The one who fostered your first child with you?"

Aryanna nodded, biting her lip as she opened her eyes. "Mhm."

Savannah nodded slowly again, stepping even closer. "What happened to him?"

Aryanna turned her head to Savannah. "Before I explain the how, I need to explain the what. Sean was...well, oddly enough, he was a lot like you. We met in college, he a senior, I a freshman. We both were taking a literature class, I because I wanted to, he because he still needed an English course to take. It was a pretty quick friendship, one that eventually turned to us saying we were dating not three months after we'd met. College was great with him there that first year, and then him staying nearby so we could still be together while I finished school. I graduated early, having finished everything I needed to in two years thanks to summer courses as well as the normal school year courses. Soon we were living together, and on my twentieth birthday, he proposed to me. We were married six months later.

"A year later, we were considering adopting because I can't have kids, but then he suggested we foster and then adopt when the time's right. Very quickly we had been selected for a girl named Erika, and soon, she and her social worker Miley Gran were arriving at our door. I was rather unprepared - this was my first child and I was still only 21 - but Sean, who had been a foster child, helped me calm down. Erika was so happy despite what she told me was her reasoning for being in foster care, and after nearly a year, we'd decided we wanted to adopt her. Sean and I succeeded, and soon Erika was ours. We were all so happy. I truly felt like a real mom, despite only being 22 and having no blood relation to Erika whatsoever. But that kind of happiness just isn't meant to be.

"Three months after we had adopted Erika, it happened. We had gone out for dinner to celebrate our second anniversary and had a blast, as usual. When we got home, we stumbled in on a break-in. The thieves were only kids - fifteen at the least, eighteen at the most - but they all seemed to know what they had to do. Soon Sean, Erika, and I were tied up and thrust in the corner as they cleaned up the house, returning everything they would have stolen, cleaning it up and everything. Then..." Aryanna stopped, pressing her hand to her chest momentarily before continuing again. "Then they made it obvious it wasn't meant to be a break-in robbery after all. They'd planned it all so perfectly it was like clockwork. One of them turned on the TV for background noise, then grabbed Erika and started beating her, muffling her screams with duct tape. Eventually, they started stabbing her to death. Sean tried to stop them, as did I, but then four of them grabbed him and held him down, letting the other three take turns beating him. He was stabbed three times before they tossed him over next to me, letting him bleed to death.

"By that time I was a mess. Their blood had splattered on me, I was crying, and Sean, who was hardly conscious, was trying to calm me down. The kids noticed this, and then grabbed me, untying me, pushing me to the ground and gang-raping me. I fought against them, but there's only just so much people can take before they put a knife to your throat. So, I settled with crying and praying it would end soon. Then they stabbed me. They missed vital organs, thankfully, only taking out my gall bladder, spleen, and appendix, but I almost wish they'd killed me. It would have been that much easier. They left as soon as they'd destroyed possible evidence linking them to the scene, leaving me and Sean alive but barely, broken and shattered. I dragged myself over to him, but he was already on his way out. He handed me his phone, which was covered in his blood, and told me I had to call the police. I did, always making sure he was still with me. I knew we had to make it out together. By the time the police and paramedics got to the house, Sean had died, leaving me crying, my head resting on his bloody chest. I couldn't leave him. I didn't want to leave him. I refused to leave him. But they made me leave him. I was sent to the hospital, where I stayed for two weeks in misery. Spencer managed to visit me when he could, and so did my parents. I was so angry at my father, only because he really had never been there for me, so why should he have been there for me then?

"I was followed by the media for two months after what had happened. It had made the news, and the media was craving what I had to say about it. I must have seemed so robotic to them. Finally, at the end of the second month, they crossed the line: they asked me if I was going to remarry and start over. I just looked at the reporters around me as if they were crazy, but they all looked at me hopefully. Finally a voice outside of the reporters' ring around me shouted, 'Hey, can't you see she's miserable? She already said 'no comment' to your first five million questions. Why can't you see she's not going to want to answer this one?' The reporters all turned around and shouted, 'Oh my gosh, it's James Meyes!' and raced over to him. That was the first time I ever met James. He nodded at me, mouthing, 'I've got your back.' I mouthed back, 'Thank you,' and he nodded, smiling.

"We didn't see each other again until I was asked to speak at a seminar two years later, in which afterward James flagged me down and talked to me. He introduced himself, and before I knew it, we were planning to meet again at a coffee shop in my town up in Connecticut. We were drifting closer together. After a year he popped the big question, saying that he wouldn't have done it had he not felt I could handle being a wife for a second time. It was his faith in me that made me say yes. That kind of faith doesn't come any way but naturally, and it made me feel so good to have someone who loved me just as much as Sean did." Aryanna turned her head to look at Savannah's tear-strained face. Seeing this made Aryanna wipe her own eyes before saying, "Savannah, I will never ask of you to fill the gap I have where Erika was. I know better than to do that. All I will ever do is hope that someday, you can find the family that is right for you, and eventually, I hope you'll consider us as a possibility."

Savannah nodded slowly, sniffling and wiping her eyes with her hands. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Meyes. I should never have asked-"

Aryanna shook her head, cutting her off. "You would have asked eventually, or Spencer would have forced me to talk about it in front of you in that way of his and you'd ask and I'd have to tell you."

"Does Eloise know?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if Spencer's told her about it."

Savannah nodded. "Did they...did the police ever catch them?"

Aryanna bit her lip. "No. They were careful to ruin all pieces of forensic evidence, including making sure their semen was mixed to the point where no single set of DNA could be extracted without cross-contamination from the others' DNA. I'm left with no hint that I'll ever know who it was that killed my family and tried to kill me."

Savannah frowned. "That's sad. I'm sorry."

Aryanna sighed. "You know how I told you I'm a journalist?"

Savannah nodded.

"And I'm not 'that' kind of journalist?"

Savannah nodded again.

"Well, I wrote several articles for various papers and magazines about it and how to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else. All of my books after that event carried some sort of sad undertone, often with one character having a past quite similar to mine. It's the easiest way to cope."

Savannah nodded slowly. "Do you have any copies?"

Aryanna looked at the child in confusion. "Why yes, but why do you ask?"

"I want to read them."

Aryanna was shocked. "Read them? But...they're no good!"

Savannah shrugged. "I'll be the judge of that."

Aryanna's hear froze up again. She forced herself to swallow and breathe. "That's exactly what Sean would have said. You and Sean are so similar."

It was Savannah's turn to be shocked. "Really?"

Aryanna nodded. "You and Sean, Erika and James."

Savannah looked away. "Wow."

Aryanna sighed. "Well, if you want to read them, you might as well come with me. The boxes are in my office."

Savannah followed Aryanna upstairs and into the bright office with light blue paint, white trim, a pink horizontal running stripe in the middle of the walls, medium-colored hardwood floors, a black desk and three matching bookcases, a black leather desk chair, and four beanbag chairs, two purple and two lime green. On the walls hung paintings of the seasons: winter on the north-most wall, hanging right above her desk, spring on the east-most wall, hanging above the beanbag chairs, summer on the south-most wall, hanging next to a window and the bookshelves, and autumn on the west-most wall, hanging next to the second window. There was also a small black rack with boxes and bins filled with magazines, notebooks, and newspapers.

Aryanna pulled down one box labelled _**AUGUST 2007 **_in thick black Sharpie, opening it up and sorting out the miscellaneous newspapers and taking out the good stuff: the magazines. "These are magazines I have articles in from the year of," Aryanna said, then took down another box, "and these are probably from the years following."

"And books?" Savannah asked. "In case I finish these?"

Aryanna pointed to the bookcase in the corner, farthest from the painting. "The third and fourth shelf from the bottom on that one have my books from before, but the second shelf from the top on the first bookcase have books from after."

Savannah smiled. "Where would you like me to read them?"

Aryanna pursed her lips. "You can read them anywhere, as long as they make it back in here."

"Can I sit here and read them?" Savannah asked, pointing to the beanbags.

"Certainly. I'll just be on my laptop," Aryanna said, smiling.

Soon Savannah was deep into the articles and eventually the books. Aryanna would occasionally get a phone call from Spencer, Eloïse, Amy, or Domonick, wishing her a happy anniversary and, in Amy and Eloise's case, to talk in general. Through all of that, Savannah stayed put, reading and reading, never seeming to notice how Aryanna's mood and behavior had changed after telling her what she had wanted to know. But Aryanna noticed it. She noticed how free she felt after telling her. She noticed she no longer tried to keep herself distant from the child, almost as if Savannah really was Erika in a slight sense despite her being younger than her.

* * *

Aryanna was deep into an article she was writing about starting over that she never heard James pull up, get out of his Jaguar, unlock the door, come upstairs, and walk into her office until after he was kissing her. Her eyes were wide with shock until she realized it was just him, then she closed her eyes and kissed back. He pulled away, chuckling.

"Hey babe," Aryanna said, smiling.

James handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Hey sweetheart."

Aryanna smiled, taking the flowers and holding them to her nose. Daisies, roses, tulips, daffodils, none could ever be as pleasant-smelling as cherry blossoms and lilacs to Aryanna's nose. James knew her well. He also knew to have only one tiger lily and plenty of baby's breath.

"Thank you!" Aryanna stood, throwing her arms around her husband's heck. "You know me well."

She could hear James' smile. "You're welcome, my love."

Savannah looked up from the book she was reading. "Oh, hi Mr. Meyes."

"Hello, Savannah," James said, waving even though Aryanna still hadn't let him go. He addressed this in his next sentence: "You don't have to let me go, that's okay. I'm perfectly fine with this."

Aryanna realized she'd been crying on his shoulder, and quickly released him, wiping her eyes. "Sorry." She set the flowers down on her desk.

James took her hand, taking her chin with his other hand. Gently, he turned her head to face his, and her eyes teared up again. His dark hazel eyes were so beautiful...almost like Sean's eyes...except Sean's were blue. A bright, almost electric blue color that stood out against his black hair and relatively fair skin.

James looked his wife in the eyes. "You okay?"

Aryanna started to nod, but then buried herself in him, letting him hold her. "I'm just so scared it's going to happen to us."

James held her. "I understand, sweetheart. But history won't repeat itself so soon."

Savannah nodded. "Like Miss Peterson said: lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice."

James nodded, then did a double take. "Wait-you told her?"

Aryanna looked up. "She asked. I wasn't about to refuse."

James smiled. "I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it. You're one step closer to moving on."

Aryanna smiled. She admired that kind of faith he had in her. If only she had it in herself.

"I say we go out and celebrate," James said. "Who says we go to a little place called Rizzo's?"

Aryanna's eyes widened. "Rizzo's?"

James shrugged. "Sure, why not? I got paid today. I'm good."

Savannah bookmarked her page and closed the book. "What's Rizzo's?"

Aryanna turned to her. "It's one of our favorites. We went for our first anniversary. It's a bit of a treat, considering its prices-"

"And its formality," James added.

Savannah nodded. "So...I have to dress up?"

Aryanna nodded. "At least into a skirt."

Savannah nodded again. "Okay. Cool! I've never really been to a fancy restaurant before."

Aryanna smiled, then turned to James. "Should I make reservations for seven?"

"I've made them for six," James said.

"You did?"

James nodded. "I called before I left."

Aryanna raised her eyebrows. "Thank you, sweetheart!"

James smiled. "Anything in the world for you, my love."

"Should I go get dressed now? It's already five," Savannah asked.

Aryanna looked at the clock on one of the shelves of the bookcase. "Oh, then yes, so should I, actually!"

"We leave at five thirty sharp, okay?" James told Savannah.

"Alright. Sounds good to me!" Savannah quickly dashed out of the office, the sound of her bedroom door opening and closing telling Aryanna and James the twelve-year-old girl was really getting ready.

James smiled that same devilishly handsome smile from the morning, scooping Aryanna up again and carrying her into their bedroom, where he set her down on the bed. He leaned over and kissed her again before standing, kicking off his shoes, and getting changed from business casual to a professionally tailored black suit. Aryanna searched through her closet until she found the staple she was looking for: a knee-length, black, skin-tight dress with lace full-length sleeves and a small silver brooch just below her sternum. She pinned up her hair in a pretty bun, and just as she was finishing, James stood behind her, staring at her in the mirror, smiling. In his right hand he held a small black box.

"You look beautiful," James said. "As if you didn't already."

Aryanna smiled. "Thank you." She carefully applied eyeliner, mascara, foundation, blush, and lipstick before standing back up again.

James handed her the box she had noticed in his hand earlier. "Here. Happy anniversary, darling."

Aryanna took the box, removing the top quickly. Inside was a beautiful silver, diamond-encrusted bangle. Inscribed on the inside were the words: "_You are my forever and always. I love you 'till the end._" Aryanna teared up at the sight. "Oh, James, it's beautiful!"

James smiled. "I thought you might like it."

Aryanna smiled. "I love it. Thank you!" She threw her arms around him in a hug.

"You're welcome, my dearest."

Aryanna released him and put on the bracelet, then slipped on her three-inch heels that surprisingly matched the bracelet perfectly. After grabbing her black purse (and making sure James' gifts were inside), she said, "Alright, let's go!"

Savannah was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a long red skirt, black lacy tank top, and black flats, her hair pulled back into a rather nice messy bun. Draped over her arm was a black long-sleeved shrug.

"Ready to go?" James asked once everyone was downstairs.

Savannah nodded. "Ready!" She added with a giggle, "Although you two DO realize it is 5:32, right?"

Aryanna smiled. "Alright! Then we're late! Let's go!"

James opened the door after turning on and dimming the living room lights as well as turning on the porch light. Even though Aryanna knew James had locked the door, she checked to make sure the door and the dead-bolt were both locked as a force of habit. No need in stumbling in on another break-in and losing James and Savannah, despite what everyone else told her.

"Which car are we taking?" Aryanna shouted as she walked over to the driveway.

"Whoa, you have a Jaguar?!" Savannah exclaimed from the garage. "I mean, I know you make a lot of money, but still!"

Aryanna could hear James' laughter. "Actually, you should really say that to Aryanna. It was hers to begin with, then she did...something fancy to the policy or something so it's now both of ours."

"I take it you're not a car guy, huh?" Savannah asked.

Aryanna laughed as she entered the garage.

James shook his head, trying so hard not to laugh. "Nope, I'm not!"

Savannah pursed her lips, then shrugged. "Whatever. I kind of am a car girl."

Aryanna smiled. "Really? That's neat."

Savannah nodded. "Cars and chemistry. My two favorite things besides love and family. And design."

Aryanna smiled. "So I take it we're taking the Jaguar?"

James looked at the car. "No back seats."

Savannah sighed. "Oh well."

"Sorry kido," James said. "Believe me, I was looking forward to the ride there myself."

Savannah waved it off, saying, "It's okay. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Maybe another day you'll get to ride in it with just one of us," Aryanna said as James opened the door of the Subaru for Savannah, closing it behind her and opening Aryanna's door for her. "Why thank you, kind sir," Aryanna said in her best British accent.

Savannah laughed.

"Only for lovely ladies such as yourselves, my dears," James replied, also in a British accent.

Savannah laughed even harder.

Aryanna smiled as James started up the Subaru and backed out of the garage and driveway. Aryanna pushed a clicker clipped onto the driver's side visor and watched as the garage door closed slowly.

Aryanna smiled as James turned on the radio, letting it play softly. His right hand found her left, and the two held hands until he had to turn, but he always managed to hold her hand afterwards.

After twenty minutes of driving, they arrived at Rizzo's.

"We're here," James said, releasing Aryanna's hand to turn off the radio and car.

"Yay!" Savannah exclaimed, opening her door and hopping out as Aryanna did. James waited till the two were by his side before locking the car and turning on the alarm. With that, the couple grasped each other's hands and walked inside with Savannah.

The hostess greeted them with a smile. "Welcome back, Aryanna, James. And who's this?"

Aryanna smiled. "This is Savannah."

"We're fostering her," James added with a smile.

The hostess raised her eyebrows. "Really? Well, congratulations. Savannah, you're going to love them. You three just have to wait ten minutes for everything to be ready...oh, wait, you have a reservation! Nevermind, follow me!"

James and Aryanna exchanged loving glances and followed the hostess, Savannah in polite tow. They sat at the same table they did when they celebrated their first anniversary. It was close to the small stage the band wound play on as well as the dance floor. A few couples were practicing, as if there was a contest coming up.

"Here you are. Happy anniversary, by the way, and enjoy!" With that, the hostess returned to the front as their waitress came over with a bottle of champagne and red wine. She poured James and Aryanna each a glass of champagne.

James lifted his glass. "To you, my dear."

Aryanna blushed. "To the both of us."

They clinked glasses.

"Happy anniversary, my dearest Aryanna."

"And happy anniversary to you too, my dearest James."

They drank their champagne, and soon the waitress was pouring them wine, taking away the champagne flutes and bottle as she left, telling Savannah she'd have her Sierra Mist as soon as she could (Rizzo's was very busy that night, and several waitresses were working more tables than usual just to make up for the loss of staff).

Aryanna sighed, knowing full well James would probably be unable to drive (and she'd therefore get that devilishly handsome smile again once they got home). She managed to sip her wine slowly, savoring the sweet yet potent taste. "How many glasses do you intend on having, James?"

James pursed his lips. "Maybe four?"

Aryanna sighed. "Looks like I'm driving." She sipped her wine again as the waitress returned with Savannah's Sierra Mist.

They ordered, then, once the waitress had left again, James smiled, pulling another black box from inside his coat. "Here, my dear."

Aryanna smiled in slight shock. "Another?" She took the box from him, gently opening it. Inside, was a beautiful silver locket with diamonds forming a heart. Inside was already a smaller version of their wedding photo, and next to that, there was a more-recent photo of the two of them. It was one of Aryanna's favorites. On the very back of the locket was another inscription: "_No show of my affection shall ever be enough. I love you till death do us part_."

Aryanna teared up, pressing her right hand to her chest. "Oh, it's beautiful, James. Thank you so much."

James smiled, standing to help her put on the locket. He returned to his seat, stared, and smiled again. "You're beautiful. As always."

Aryanna smiled. "Thank you, sweetheart." She quickly grabbed her purse, pulling out two small wrapped boxes. "Here."

James took them gently. "Thank you, sweetheart." He unwrapped the first one quickly. Inside was an elegant silver watch. James' eyes widened. "Wow. A Venom? Thanks!"

Aryanna smiled under the praise. "Now open the other one."

James looked down at the narrower wrapped box as he put on the watch. "I'm not too sure if I want to now."

Aryanna rolled her eyes. "Well I very well can't return them, and I'm not about to sell them to someone who wants them-"

At this, James tore open the wrapping, opened the box, and laughed, pulling out two tickets to a show to see their favorite comedian.

James closed his eyes, smiling, the tickets in his hands. "You didn't."

Aryanna smiled. She'd done it again. "But I did."

James looked at the tickets again. "And Larry the Cable Guy is with him?"

Aryanna laughed. "Yep!"

James dropped the tickets back into the box and wrapped his arms around Aryanna's neck. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Aryanna smiled. "You're welcome, my dear."

The house band tuned as the two let go of each other. The conductor turned to everyone in the restaurant. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's a Friday night. You know what that means!"

Everyone shouted, "Ballroom dancing!"

The conductor laughed. "You betchya! Alright, let's get some couples out on the dance floor. I want to see your best moves – as long as they fit with the music!"

The conductor picked up his baton, and cued the band. A lively swing started, and several couples dashed onto the dance floor.

Aryanna stared at the couples, dancing and laughing. She thought of her and Sean, the two of them always doing such fun, interactive things despite having no time for each other.

James noticed her stare. "Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm.

Aryanna looked over at Savannah, who gave her a thumbs-up. "Yes, we shall." Standing, she took his arm, and the two walked out onto the dance floor. "Do you know how to swing?"

James laughed. "Do you?"

The two started dancing, and Aryanna smiled, admiring the way their bodies seemed so perfect for it. Eventually a spotlight found them (which made Aryanna blush severely), and the other couples stopped to watch, gaping and pointing. Aryanna caught their whispers.

"Isn't she…?"

"Isn't that…?"

"Wow…"

"What makes them so entitled?"

"They're really good…"

"Newbies…"

"Where did they learn?"

"…Aryanna Meyes…"

"…James Meyes…"

"…they are fantastic!"

"I mean, we've been dancing here for _much_ longer…"

"…can they teach us more?"

"…but what else do they know?"

"…the woman who was, you know, raped and had her family murdered?"

"…former baseball star and current sports journalist?"

"…and they just steal our spotlight without a moment's hesitation. The nerve of people these days!"

James simply smiled as he and Aryanna danced. As the song ended, the restaurant burst into applause and the conductor waved the two over to him.

"Well, I see we have our winners for the swing competition. What are your names?" he asked.

James wrapped his arm around Aryanna's waist. "Do you really not know? Everyone seems to be talking about us!"

Aryanna's face felt even hotter. "James…"

"What? It's the truth. You and I…what, like you didn't hear the whispers?"

The conductor quickly intervened. "So…are you James and Aryanna Meyes?"

Aryanna spoke up. "Yes, we are."

The conductor smiled. "Then allow me to congratulate you two on a dance well done. What brings you to Rizzo's?"

James smiled, looking at Aryanna's face with that devilishly handsome gleam in his eyes. "Tonight is our second anniversary. It's about time we celebrated. We came here last year for our first, and enjoyed it so much that we came back for our second."

Aryanna smiled and nodded in agreement. "It's true."

The conductor smiled. "Then happy anniversary. Let us play you whatever song you want for the moment, shall we?"

The band nodded in agreement.

Aryanna looked to James. "What do you wish to hear?"

James shook his head. "Whatever you want to hear, my dear."

Aryanna blushed. "Would you play 'So She Dances' by Josh Groban?"

The conductor smiled even wider. "It would be a pleasure." He picked up his baton, Aryanna and James walked back to the center of the dance floor, locked arms, and, as the song began, the two waltzed.

It seemed that everyone in the restaurant had their eyes on the two of them. Aryanna eventually rested her head on James' shoulder as the song shifted to a slow dance, the spotlight disappearing and other couples joining them on the dance floor.

"I love you," James whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," Aryanna whispered back.

James shifted slightly, then said, "I may be expecting company."

Aryanna lifted her head. "You invited others?"

James gave her an innocent look. "Maybe..."

Aryanna threw her head back lightly in laughter. "Let me guess, Spencer and Eloïse, Domonick and Amy?"

James kept giving her that look. "Maybe..."

Aryanna laughed more. "Oh James."

The two continued dancing until Aryanna caught a glance over at their table, where Savannah was waving at them to come back (dinner was being served).

"Our food is arriving," Aryanna whispered.

James sighed. "It can wait until the end of the song."

Aryanna smiled. "Sounds good to me." She nodded to Savannah and mouthed "We'll be there after this song." The child nodded, giving a thumb's up as an okay.

The song ended, and the couple made their way back to their table, hand in hand. But as Aryanna looked out the large front windows to see if Spencer and Eloïse had arrived with Amy and Domonick, she nearly fainted.

James asked, "What's wrong?"

Aryanna couldn't speak. The fear and horror in her eyes should have given everything away.


	7. Seven-Savannah

Savannah looked at Mrs. Meyes in confusion. The woman was pointing at the large front windows, hyperventilating and not being able to speak.

"Mrs. Meyes?" Savannah asked.

Mr. Meyes pressed his thumb into Mrs. Meyes' palm -_ just like The Help, thank you Miss Peterson_ - and asked, "Aryanna, what's wrong?"

But Mrs. Meyes couldn't speak. She simply pointed at the large front windows and collapsed in Mr. Meyes's arms. Finally, she managed to whisper, "They're back!"

Savannah and Mr. Meyes both looked to the front of Rizzo's and shared Mrs. Meyes' fear: at least ten men in black were making their way over to them, all manner of weapons drawn. The men seemed to know what they were doing as they came over with such speed and..._power_? Yes, there was something in their unmasked faces that led Savannah to the conclusion they felt _powerful_ amongst them. Those with guns aimed them at Mr. and Mrs. Meyes. One man shoved Savannah away, sending her flying into a waitress' rear end, whose face ended up smacking against the table. The sickening crunch of her nose made Savannah's stomach churn, but her flickering, black-spotted vision was concentrated on Mr. and Mrs. Meyes. One man - the oldest and most powerful-looking - waved his hand in the sign for "go" in sign language (how Savannah knew she couldn't remember), and three others started beating him. One landed a powerful blow to the head, another to his shoulder, and another to his jaw before they kicked his stomach and chest, sending Mr. Meyes sailing across the room and into a vacant table. Guests rushed over to help him, but despite his own efforts, no one could get him up without his crying out in pain.

Savanna struggled to rise and run over to him, but one of the men in front of her pushed her back down again with the hilt of his knife before helping the others pick up the suddenly limp Mrs. Meyes and rush her from the restaurant. They got into a waiting car and disappeared.

Savannah stood slowly, then ran over to Mr. Meyes, falling twice and scraping her palms on the carpet. Her foster-father had given up trying to stand and was calling the police.

As soon as he hung up, his eyes met Savannah's worried ones. "Savannah! Are you alright?"

Savannah nodded, terrified. "Yes, I'm fine, but are you? What happened?"

Mr. Meyes shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't know." He reached his bloody hand out to her. "Come closer."

Savannah obeyed, knowing Mr. Meyes only meant well.

He wrapped his large, bloody, tan hand around her small, clean, olive one, pressing his thumb into her palm. "I take it you've read _The Help_?"

Savannah nodded, understanding what he meant.

"Savannah, you and I are going to make it. Once the police arrive and I call Spencer, we can start the search for Aryanna. What happened...well, I'm sure Spencer and his team can explain that more and much better than I could with what little I know."

Savannah nodded, and Mr. Meyes placed the call to Spencer.

"Hey, Spencer? It's me, James. Listen, I need your help: It's happened. I don't mean to...I know, I'm sorry! I know there's less than a month left, but this is your sister we're talking about! No, Rizzo's. Yes, they pulled off a structured procedure in a public area! Listen, Spence: I can't talk for long. The police will be here soon, and I'm losing blood quickly... Yeah, they decked me and...! I really don't have time for this! I'll explain it all when you get here! I understand. Whenever you can would be fantastic. Thanks, Spencer. See you soon."

Just like that, the call ended and police officers and EMTs raced inside. The hostess pointed back to where Savannah and James were as well as the waitress with the broken nose, and EMTs and police officers raced over.

One EMT addressed Mr. Meyes. "Are you alright, sir?"

Mr. Meyes laughed. "Oh yeah! It's everyday that I'm shoved into tables while my wife gets kidnapped! Of course I'm fine! I'm not embedded with glass and in excruciating pain or anything!"

Another EMT laughed as well. "At least you're making a joke out of it!" He turned to the other EMT. "Come on, Rick. Let's get him on a stretcher and outside so we can get the glass out of his cuts and work on him from there-"

"Or we just bring him to the hospital-"

"NO!" Mr. Meyes exclaimed. "Treat me as best as you can with what you have, because I have FBI coming, and one particular agent is going to freak out if I'm not here."

The EMTs and police officers exchanged confused and surprised glances. One of the officers said, "Well then! You heard him! Let's get him out of here before it's nearly impossible to save him!"

The EMTs lifted Mr. Meyes off the wrecked table and onto the waiting stretcher before rushing him outside.

Savannah stood and started to follow before she fell just in front of the door. She didn't get up; she _couldn't_ get up. Everything was so nightmarish it couldn't be real. But it couldn't be a dream. Her dreams never involved others getting hurt...until two days ago, at least. Even then, she'd saved them by dragging the couple away while her past foster parents conferred. Now, she simply didn't know what to do, so she cried, watching as the EMTs removed shards of glass from one of Mr. Meyes' arms and from his back. He was shirtless in the chilling May night. He was shirtless and...Savannah saw through tear-filled eyes why Mrs. Meyes often called her husband handsome: He had quite the six-pack.

"Savannah!" someone called out in front of her.

She looked up, wiping her eyes. It was Spencer. "Spencer!" she cried.

"Savannah, are you alright?" Spencer asked, holstering his gun and racing over to her, kneeling down to meet her eyes better.

She nodded, then shook her head. "I just don't know. What's going on? What happened?"

Spencer shook his head. "I'll explain in a minute, but I need to know from you what happened. Not now, of course. James was worried when I arrived with the rest of my team and he couldn't say where you were."

Savannah tried to stand, but fell into Spencer's arms, knees too weak to support her own weight. "Let's go to him, then."

Spencer nodded. "I thought you might say that."

He helped her walk over to Mr. Meyes, who cried out and swore as a female EMT removed a shard of glass from his arm.

"I'm sorry! This is the only way to get the glass out!" she exclaimed.

"I know," Mr. Meyes said in a depressed tone. "I wish it didn't OW! Hurt so Goddamned much."

The EMT shook her head and continued removing glass.

"James!" Spencer called.

Mr. Meyes turned his head in their direction. "You found her?! Thank you! Savannah!"

Savannah ran and fell three times before finally reaching him. "Mr. Meyes!"

"Oh Savannah I was so worried...I'll be overreacting for a whILE!" he said, his voice raising in pitch as the EMTs removed shard after shard of glass.

Savannah nodded, understanding. Mrs. Meyes was his counterpart, literally: she overreacted most of the time, and he balanced her out by remaining calm and therefore calming her down. Without her there to overreact, it would almost be like he would be fulfilling two roles.

Spencer pursed his lips. "This probably isn't a very good time to ask you questions, now is it?"

Mr. Meyes and the EMTs shook their heads, the EMTs with eyes wide and Mr. Meyes with eyes closed in pain.

Spencer nodded. "Alright. We'll wait until we're at your house, then." He quickly added, "I mean, it's more comfortable than being in a police station or in the BAU headquarters."

Mr. Meyes nodded. "I understand. It could be a while, though. Someone's going to have to drive me home, though, because I had just a little too much to drink to risk being behind the wheel."

Spencer nodded. "Good idea."

The female EMT working on his arm (who was now stitching it up, having gotten the glass out) looked him in the eyes and said, "So that's why you bled so much!"

Mr. Meyes rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's why I bled so much. That's why I'm still bleeding. I wasn't planning on bleeding tonight! I was planning on having a fantastic evening with my wife!"

Spencer quickly covered Savannah's ears with his hands. The words that came from his mouth were garbled and faint, as were the words from Mr. Meyes'. Mr. Meyes seemed pretty agitated quite suddenly, but calmed down quickly and closed his eyes. Spencer removed his hands from Savannah's ears, apologizing.

Savannah nodded, accepting his apology.

Mr. Meyes sighed. "I just wish I could have done something. No excuse could ever be great enough for my not doing my duty."

"But there were ten of them and one of you! They all had weapons and you didn't. You're too pure-of-heart to hurt people, they obviously aren't. Besides," Savannah said, "you aren't Mrs. Meyes' bodyguard, you're her husband."

Mr. Meyes sighed. "Actually, I used to be paid security...but I'd better explain that story when we're all at the house."

Spencer nodded as five people walked over from the restaurant: two women and three men. "Guys! Over here!"

One man in particular seemed to run over when Spencer called them. "James! You okay?"

Mr. Meyes nodded as the EMTs finished stitching him up and wrapping gauze around the wounds that seemed a little more apt to bleeding. "Derrek, I'm fine."

Derrek, as this man was supposedly called, nodded in relief. "Good. Didn't want, you know, your mom to get worried."

Mr. Meyes laughed. "Ha! My mother, worry about _me_? Highly doubtful. She's more preoccupied over Amy to worry about her own son. _Please_. Leave my mother out of this, will you?"

Derrek shrugged, backing off a little. "Okay. I will, man. Relax. Just doing 'cousinly' duties."

Savannah's eyes widened. "Wait-you're his cousin?"

Derrek turned to the child. "Second by marriage."

Savannah nodded. "Oh. Okay. Makes more sense now."

"I'm Agent Derrek Morgan, by the way," he said, stretching out his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Savannah," Savannah said, accepting his hand.

The others finally reached them. The stiffer, black-haired man addressed Mr. Meyes first. "James."

Mr. Meyes nodded. "Aaron."

Aaron then turned his attention to Savannah. "Hi. My name is Agent Aaron Hotchner. I take it you are Savannah?"

Savannah nodded slowly, tentatively taking his outstretched hand, giving him a limp paw. "Yes."

Agent Hotchner nodded once, releasing her hand. "We're here to help."

"I kinda figured," Savannah admitted.

The blonde woman approached her next. "Hi. My name's Agent Jennifer Jareau, but you can call me Jen or JJ for short. So much easier, especially when we'll be seeing each other quite a bit more often than just now, I take it."

Savannah nodded, liking the woman's polite smile and easygoing nature.

The older man came over after talking to James a little. "My name's Agent David Rossi."

"Savannah Matthews."

Agent Rossi nodded. "I know. I do believe I was assigned to your case at one point."

Savannah's eyes widened. "My...case?"

"Don't you remember? It was quite the gruesome case." Agent Rossi remarked.

Images and sensations flickered in Savannah's mind. A cold hand touching her bare back, the crack of a whip, a grown woman's screams, blood splattering everywhere, a blonde man stabbing a mostly-naked woman. Savannah took a sharp intake of breath, releasing it in short, staggered breaths. "A little. Not much, but a little." Enough to know why her mind had told her to forget it.

The brunette woman, the only one not introduced yet, rested her hand on Agent Rossi's shoulder. "Let's not put her through something that might torment her more than this has." She turned to the child. "My name's Agent Emily Prentiss."

Savannah nodded minimally, shell-shocked by what her mind had permitted her to remember. "Nice to meet you all."

Agent Hotchner thanked the EMT he had been talking to and handed Mr. Meyes a clean shirt. "Here. You look freezing."

"Not used to being outside like this," he admitted, putting on the shirt quickly.

Spencer chuckled. "Yeah, I take it you two haven't been outside together in a while, huh?"

Mr. Meyes glared at his brother-in-law. "That's not why."

Agent Morgan patted Spencer on the shoulder. "C'mon kid. Let's get to...wherever we're going before we all freeze to death."

Agent Hotchner turned to Mr. Meyes again. "Would you mind if-"

Mr. Meyes waved his hand. "You may. Just... Who's driving our car?"

Spencer sighed. "I'll drive."

Mr. Meyes nodded, taking the keys from his back pocket and handing them to Spencer. "Good. I am _not_ driving. Not about to chance it."

Spencer nodded. "I know. You told us that like, fifteen minutes ago."

Mr. Meyes sighed. "I know. Just...let's get out of here, okay? Rizzo's'll be lucky if we ever return now."

Spencer, Mr. Meyes, and Savannah left the group and headed to the Subaru.

"She still has this thing?" Spencer asked as he unlocked the doors.

Mr. Meyes nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, she does. It's great now that we have a purpose for the back seat."

Savannah didn't like Mr. Meyes' sudden change in the tone of his voice. It...reminded her of someone else's, but she couldn't remember whose. All that she knew was the tone she was hearing was not a good tone and the last time she had heard that tone something really bad had happened. Something worse than what her former foster parents had done to her.

The twenty-minute drive passed in silence, as Mr. Meyes turned off the radio angrily as soon as it turned on. The FBI agents seemed to be following them, which was reassuring somehow.

Once they all were inside the house, Mr. Meyes collapsed in the armchair after turning on the TV. He closed his eyes and cradled his head in his hands.

Agent Prentiss looked confused. "What's wrong?"

Spencer sat on the couch. "This is going to be long, I can tell."

"Yeah, long and informative," Agent Morgann said, sitting on the love seat.

Savannah sat on the floor next to the coffee table as everyone else besides Agent Hotcnher sat on the couch and love seat.

Mr. Meyes sighed, looking up and opening his eyes. He looked so stressed... "Once upon six years ago, I was working as paid security for Sean while he was at the ASPCA headquarters because, well, let's leave it at he was getting continued threats on his life and he had a strong disliking for the authorities. Sean and I grew to be great friends, except we never met outside the work evironment. I'd arrive at seven, he'd arrive at seven fifty-five, we'd grab coffee, then he'd head to his office and I'd stick around on his floor. It was an easy job, really. Sean like to talk about his wife a lot. You can all guess who that was."

"Aryanna," they all whispered.

Mr. Meyes nodded, rubbing his face with his palms. "Yep. I had heard so much about her: how beautiful she was, how sweet she was, her style, how well she raised their foster daughter Erika, how she walked, how she talked, everything. I thought she was stupid for marrying so young. Then...then Sean brought her and Erika in to work one day nine months after I started working there. Let's just say I changed my mind about her. Let's just say I only changed my mind because I saw how perfect of a couple the two made. Erika noticed me watching them, and she tugged at Sean's sleeve and asked what he wanted her to do. He told her to 'go over to that nice man over there in black with the radio and he'll know just how to treat you.' That man was me. Erika smiled and skipped over to me. Sean followed her and told me, 'As long as it doesn't involve anything from an animal, it's fine.' Aryanna rolled her eyes at him and told me, 'As long as food's vegetarian and other things don't involve real animal anything, it's fine.' I trusted Aryanna on that as the two walked away all lovey-dovey and stuff. They disappeared in the elevator and went up to his floor.

"I needed to figure out what to do with Erika - I wasn't all that keen with kids at the time - so I asked her what she felt like doing. Instead of answering my question, she asked me, 'You're security, right?' I said, 'Yes, I am.' She replied, 'Then I can trust you.' My reaction was, 'Trust me with _what_?' Her response was very simple: 'The truth.' Instantly I got a run-down of who she was and why she was in foster care. She told me only her social worker, Aryanna, and then me knew other than those involved and that I was never to tell anyone about it. She said, 'The FBI wouldn't approve if word got around that Erika Yolansky was still alive but in terrible danger.'"

Agent Rossi's eyes widened. "Erika _Yolansky_?!"

Mr. Meyes nodded. "And now you know everything I could have told you about her."

Agent Rossi closed his eyes and let his head hit the back of the couch. "You're kidding me. We're dealing with a _cult_?!"


	8. Eight-Aryanna

**Author's Note:**

**Heh heh heh... We have trouble brewing, no? Trouble, explanation, and so much else...**

**Naturally you'll just have to wait for more information on everything revealed in the previous chapter...or do you?**

* * *

Aryanna regained consciousness in chains. More like she was chained by her wrists and suspended from the ceiling of a dark, dusty...basement? Yes, it had to be a basement. She couldn't be anywhere else except possibly someone's dugout constructed in the mid-to-late 1800s. That she highly doubted.

Her hair fell in her eyes and she struggled to swish it behind her as her arm blocked its path.

A man against the far wall shrouded in shadow laughed and seemed to smile. "So Hera is alive after all. Very good work, Bacchus. I am very glad to see our recruits are doing so well under your command."

_Bacchus?!_ Aryanna thought. No...she couldn't be...

"Bacchus, why don't you help her? I don't think she likes having her hair in her fair face, nor do I," the man in the shadows said.

"Of course, Father Jupiter," said a gruff voice, and the stout man who had been ordering the other nine that grabbed her came forth from the shadows, moving her hair behind her shoulders. This was Bacchus. "There you go! Much better!"

"Thank you," Aryanna said dryly.

Bacchus' head spun to the shadows, then after seeing a signal that Aryanna herself could not see, he smacked her. "You do not speak, _ever_!"

"Well, not unless circumstances permit it, and I highly doubt they will," the man in the shadows - Father Jupiter - said.

Bacchus nodded. "What he said."

"Why don't we get started?" Father Jupiter clapped and rubbed his hands together as the other nine boys from Rizzo's ran in and stood at attention in front of Aryanna but behind a tiny white light that flashed several times before disappearing: a camera on a tripod, no doubt. _Fantastic_. "Recruits, this is your second test. You passed the first one with flying colors. Hera arrived alive and managed to regain consciousness without our assistance. Well done. However, she is, to put it quite simply, _too_ alive. The test is to fix that. Bacchus? Will you please demonstrate what I am asking of our recruits?"

Bacchus nodded and wheeled over a small cart with all manners of sharp torture devices. "The key, recruits, is to inflict pain and let her blood flow as many times as possible without actually killing her. We go until she loses consciousness most of the time. This time, there may be an exception due to her age...?"

"No exceptions are to be made this time, Bacchus," Father Jupiter said. "She may know too much and she may be two and a half times the normal age, but we go until there is no room left on the tape. If she loses consciousness before then, you stop. That is the sole exception."

Bacchus nodded. "Thank you for clarifying, Father Jupiter. Recruits, as I was saying, the purpose isn't to kill her. We are not murderers when we are in the temple. The temple is a sacred place where the blood of the enemy gods must be spilt. We have seen many a Hermes and many a Persephone pass through these walls, but have we ever seen a Hera? No, we have not. Therefore, we must take this offering while it still stands.

"Hera is our mortal enemy. She sided with the Greeks in the Trojan war even as Juno, and as Juno she was against the foundation of Rome. It is wrong to become Juno but worse to become Hera. Hera is Greek-"

"I'm Italian and Saxony German," Aryanna muttered.

Bacchus slapped her again. "What did I say about talking?"

Aryanna remained silent.

"Very good." Bacchus continued his lecture. "Hera is Greek, therefore she is the enemy." Bacchus picked up a weapon similar in shape to a medical syringe. "Engraving is a delicate process. The scarring must be attractive in the end while still proving she is our enemy. That is why we do not do it. Only Father Jupiter can do the engraving. Therefore, this tool is off-limits. I will have it removed, but I simply wanted you to be familiar with what could become your tool after time." He placed the needle tool on a tray in the waiting hands of someone Aryanna couldn't see due to her arm blocking her peripheral vision. Bacchus held up another tool. "This is the B wheel, short for barbed wheel. This needs to be sterilized after every use to prevent infection. Remember: we wish to cause pain, not death. The gods cannot die, no matter what side they are on." Bacchus set the B wheel down on the cart. "The rest of these are self-explanatory. We have various knives, a Middle Ages-style heretic's fork only to be used when not torturing or filming otherwise, and, well, you can see the rest for yourselves. You are also allowed to use whatever you have on you, including fists and feet. Are there any questions?"

"What about...sexual assault?" one boy asked.

"Off limits to all except Father Jupiter," Bacchus replied. "Next?"

"Will you not demonstrate a method?" Father Jupiter asked.

"If Father Jupiter wishes, then I shall!" Bacchus exclaimed all too happily.

"I do wish so. I'd rather her suffer and live than suffer and die. Remember, recruits, the object of spilling her blood in the temple is not to spill enough for her to die. The gods will not and cannot die. If she dies, she is not a god and we have spilled the wrong blood," Father Jupiter explained.

Bacchus nodded and picked something that looked quite similar to a bronze tuning fork with only one prong in the center that was shockingly pointy. With it cradled in his hand, he walked to her back and scraped the point all along her spine. The pain was unbearable, evident through her screams. The boys in front of her all stared and pointed at the floor where she knew her blood was dripping on.

"Look!" they all whispered. It was almost as if they had never seen blood before.

"Impressive! She bleeds well, does she not?" Bacchus said.

"It comes from drinking beforehand, doesn't it, Hera?" Father Jupiter asked.

"Yes," Aryanna whispered.

"Then we must do less," Father Jupiter said with a sigh. "She will bleed more this time, but do not expect this again. It is rare we receive a god old enough to drink."

With that, Bacchus set down the instrument he had used and walked over to the camera Aryanna could make out ever so slightly. A tiny red light flashed three times then remained steady. They were filming, just as they had with Erika.

Father Jupiter's voice smiled as he said, "Now, what are you waiting for? Experiment!"

The boys behind the camera smiled excitedly. "Yes, Father Jupiter!"

The nine of them quickly flocked to the cart, picking various instruments and testing them out on Aryanna's skin. Every time the initial cold prick of metal met her skin Aryanna took in a sharp breath then closed her eyes, failing to prevent a scream. Her world grew hazy and blurry with the more the nine did to her. Her eyelids fluttered, her head spinning and pulsating with her rapid heartbeat.

Suddenly Father Jupiter shouted, "STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HER!"

Instantly Bacchus was there, taking away the torture devices, saying, "That's enough for tonight, thank you, remember, we just clarified we had to do less because she'd be bleeding more, thank you."

Once Bacchus had placed the tools back on the cart, Father Jupiter ordered, "Now _get out_!"

Instantly the nine boys were pushing each other out of the room to get out faster.

Father Jupiter sighed, walking forward some, his face still concealed by the shadows. He was tall, however, and crouched some to get to the camera. "I am so sorry, Hera. Sometimes even the most promising gods turn out to be complete failures. At least this is a learning experience for all of us." With that, he pressed a button on the camera and the red light turned off. He removed the camera from the tripod and held it out. Bacchus took it gingerly, cradling it in his arms as if it were a living, breathing child. _His_ living, breathing child. "You know what to do. Also, have Master Vejovis get down here and take a look at her. I'd hate to have Hera die on us. The death of our last Persephone and the Hermes we were tested on was a complete mistake. You know what will have to happen if she dies as well."

Bacchus nodded, shivering at some memory. "I will go get Master Vejovis, yes. And what do I tell Aesculapius? Should he come, too?"

"Yes, just in case Vejovis needs him. And...I hate to do this, but Mars, Poena, and Pluto need to meet me in the Council room in fifteen minutes," Father Jupiter said, and, after a quick nod, Bacchus left quickly.

Father Jupiter sighed, turning his back to Aryanna with his hands on his hips. He left the room five minutes later, being replaced by two men. One was older, with greying hair and beard, the other younger, with blonde hair. They carried what looked like doctor's bags in their left hands.

The older one spoke first after taking in Aryanna's tortured form. "Oh my. We really have our work cut out for us, don't we, Aesculapius?"

The younger one, Aesculapius, nodded. "Indeed we do, Master Vejovis."

The two knelt in unison, opening their bags and taking out Latex gloves and surgical masks. Then, after putting those on, they took their bags closer to her and started assessing her wounds.

"The deep carves need to be stitched. Father Jupiter should have stayed to give us approval," Master Vejovis, the older one, said after looking at her arms and legs.

Aesculapius nodded. "Shall I go get him?"

"It would be a smart idea, thank you Aesculapius."

The blonde man left briskly as Master Vejovis continued to assess her wounds. "Why Father Jupiter chooses to let this happen, I will never know. You're so young. Most victims are seven, though, so you aren't our youngest."

Aryanna nodded weakly, in too much pain to speak.

Master Vejovis sighed as Aesculapius and Father Jupiter came in, Father Jupiter fuming.

"What?! I am in the middle of determining whether or not the new recruits shall become recruits or not with what they have done to Hera!" Father Jupiter exclaimed, his face remaining in the shadows although his arm extended into the light as it gestured angrily at Aryanna. It was a long, strong arm with tan skin stretched tight over venous muscles, several pink scars crossing the skin as if he had been tortured like Aryanna had. This glimpse was all Aryanna needed to see for her to determine she might have found Father Jupiter attractive or at least an interesting man had he not been her capture and the ringleader of her torture.

Master Vejovis sighed again. "What shall I do for her? She needs stitching terribly. Some of these cuts are much too deep to ever heal properly without them. If and whenever she is to be released she needs to be somewhat healthy, no?"

It was Father Jupiter's turn to sigh, his arm dropping to his side. "Whatever you have to do, Vey. Whatever you have to do, do it. Just...make sure she suffers some. At least we can ensure she had endured what a goddess of her nature deserves." With that, he left.

Aesculapius came back over, kneeling next to Master Vejovis. "Are we stitching up her wounds?"

The old god of healing nodded slowly. "I don't care what he says. Give her your best stitches. No one deserves to be hurt, regardless of what they are accused of."

Aryanna's pleading look turned into one of gratitude as Aesculapius and Master Vejovis began to stitch up the deep cuts on her now-exposed arms and already-exposed legs.

* * *

**Sorry this is so short...I wanted to make it 1000 words longer, but I really can't do much more without taking away from the chapter. So sorry! The next chapter might be longer...you'll have to wait and see! ;-)**


	9. Nine-Savannah

**Author's Note:**

**So this chapter includes that extra 1000 words I wanted to include last chapter. My chapters will even themselves out if one is too heavy or another too light. Believe me, I'm OCD about such things.**

* * *

Savannah looked back and forth at Agent Rossi and Mr. Meyes. "What do you mean, we're dealing with a cult? And why does the last name Yolansky have significance?"

Spencer nodded in agreement. "Yeah, wasn't her last name...oh wait, that was after they adopted her. Whoops. Nevermind."

Agent Hotchner sighed, picking up on Agent Rossi's lead. "The Yolansky case was indeed a terrifying one. Seven-year-old Erika Yolansky and her parents Louis and Veronica were home watching TV when their house was broken into. The parents were tied to chairs, gagged, and left in the middle of the living room while the kids that broke in abducted Erika and set the house on fire. It was proven that Louis was stabbed to death and Veronica strangled prior to the house being burned, but it was almost impossible to determine where Erika had disappeared to. Until, of course, the first video was sent to the residence of Erika's aunt Kara Moore. Kara was very good about reporting the video to the agents in charge of the case - including Rossi here - but only after she put in the tape, thinking it was the video her friend in Chicago had sent her. It turned out to be a video of Erika hanging by her wrists and being brutally tortured. A male voice in the background called the torturers by names of the Roman gods. The torturers then called him Father Jupiter."

Savannah's eyes narrowed. "Father Jupiter...so, in Greek form, Zeus, king of the gods, god of the sky?"

Agent Rossi nodded, picking up where Agent Hotchner had left off. "Exactly. Kara Moore ended up receiving eight of these tapes on her doorstep in a two-month time span. We feared Erika might die soon, but we were proven wrong when _we_ were sent the ninth video. It was not of Erika, but of a man in shadow sitting in a chair. The voice matched that of Father Jupiter's, but his message and tone was a mocking one, much unlike the serious tone he had used to order the torturing. He told us that Erika would be 'in the Gods' hands' by the end of the week, and that we were not to worry about her. She knew better than to speak out, but if we were ever to meet her...well, there would be grave consequences. The Yolansky case file is still open to this day, waiting for little Erika to speak up."

"But she can't anymore because they killed her," Mr. Meyes said. "Just like they killed Sean and made it look like they tried to kill Aryanna. There's still more you don't know."

Everyone turned to look at him. "What?"

Savannah narrowed her eyes, putting pieces together. "You aren't suggesting that Sean was put in foster care by the same cult, are you?"

Mr. Meyes nodded gravely. "And I was the only one that knew until now. He, too, was like Erika in the sense that his parents were killed and he was abducted, but the 'Father Jupiter' at the time wasn't about to send tapes because he didn't want to risk getting caught. Sean mentioned that the amount of torture was...simply unbearable, and the varying forms..." Mr. Meyes shivered. "Just thinking about one form in particular just gives me the chills."

"What form?" Agent Rossi and Agent Hotchner asked in unison.

Mr. Meyes flinched under their ordering tones. "Male rape."

Savannah gasped, as did JJ and Agent Prentiss.

Agent Hotchner raised his eyebrows. "Really? Interesting."

Mr. Meyes said, "Oh-kay, if you find that interesting you'll love what else he said happened."

The FBI agents signed for him to keep talking.

"After four months, he'd lost nearly twenty-four pounds and just about four quarts of blood. Seeing the torturers had done their job well, the Father Jupiter at the time promoted the men by smearing blood from Sean's wrists on their foreheads in various shapes. They all told each other what their shapes were, and from there they received gods' names. One was told he would eventually become the Father Jupiter, and the one who was told he would become the wine dude-"

"Bacchus in Roman mythology," Spencer and Savannah said.

Mr. Meyes glared at them for a second then continued. "I was getting to that. One was told he would eventually become the Father Jupiter, and the one who was told he would become the wine dude _Bacchus_ was informed he would be second-in-command. Their task then was to put Sean in foster care and make sure he told no one. They must have found out Erika was with him, which is why they threatened his life. When Sean hired me and told me, it just gave them more reason to kill him. When they found out Erika had told her social worker, Miley Gran, as well as Aryanna and myself, well..."

"They added her to the list and decided that Aryanna had to pay as well," JJ finished, her voice sad.

Mr. Meyes nodded sadly. "But now..."

Agent Hotchner narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "I think that helps us out a lot. The murders are part of an initiation ritual. The murders of Sean and Erika were silencing as well as initiation, no doubt, considering how young Aryanna claimed the thieves-murderers-rapists were. I'm sure they thought they killed Aryanna, which is why they left, but now they have to finish the job."

Mr. Meyes' head fell back into his hands. "Great. Now there's no getting Aryanna back."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Agent Rossi said. "As long as they deliver tapes - and I'm sure they will since it's probably the same Father Jupiter that was around for the Yolansky case - we can try to find out where they are this time."

Mr. Meyes looked up hopefully. "You'd better be right." He sighed, then stood. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to get a wink of sleep. Who wants coffee?"

All of the agents instantly raised their hands and voiced their wants and needs for the caffeine.

Mr. Meyes nodded. "Alright, sounds good. Savannah?"

Savannah thought for a moment, then asked, "Is it possible to get an iced coffee?"

Mr. Meyes pursed his lips. "Most likely. Want one?"

Savannah nodded.

"Alright, then why don't you help me out with that. Anyone have specifics for sugar, cream, milk, half-and-half, ya know, the usual coffee additions?"

"I'll be taking mine black for now, thanks James," Agent Hotchner said.

"Just bring out what you've got, we'll mix the coffee ourselves. Relax, James," Spencer said.

Mr. Meyes sighed. "Alright, will do. Coffee in fifteen."

Savannah followed Mr. Meyes into the kitchen, where he started to fill the coffee pot.

Mr. Meyes stopped for a moment as the agents in the living room talked. "Savannah, there's something I need you to know."

"Oh?"

Mr. Meyes turned and bent down so he could make eye contact without him looking down and her looking up. "Savannah... Savannah, I do hope you realize that this entire...predicament can lead to you being removed from our care."

Savannah's heart skipped a beat, her face falling, tears filling her eyes. "It...could?"

"I don't know, but it might. If we're deemed unsuited for fostering you, Miss Peterson could come and say she needs to remove you from the house and we'd be powerless to say no."

"But I don't want to leave yet. I just came here and..." Savannah sighed. "This is the first family that treated me right from day one."

Mr. Meyes' face fell. "Great." He sighed. "Well, you might not leave today, and you might not leave at all. They knew that Aryanna was...somewhat unstable to begin with, but now that she's been abducted and probably being tortured relentlessly considering this is a cult we're dealing with-"

The phone suddenly started ringing.

"James!" Agent Hotchner shouted. "Permission to tap the line?"

"Granted!" Mr. Meyes shouted back, running to the phone. Several police officers ran in and set up the system in fifteen seconds. The officer with the headphones on nodded, and Mr. Meyes picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Put it on speaker," Agent Hotchner whispered.

Mr. Meyes nodded, pressing a button on the dock.

"Oh hello Mr. Meyes, er, James," said a familiar voice. "It's Marcy Peterson, Savannah's social worker?"

Mr. Meyes nodded as Savannah came closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. She held her breath as Mr. Meyes said politely, "Ah, yes. I remember. What can I do for you?"

It was obvioius Miss Peterson was very nervous and, if she was sitting at her desk in the office, no doubt twirling the spiral cord connecting the phone to the dock. "May I please speak to Savannah?"

Mr. Meyes smiled. "Of course. She's right here. Savannah," he said, acting as if he was holding the phone to his shoulder. "It's Miss Peterson."

Savannah waited a second to imitate the pause between him handing her the phone and her putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

Miss Peterson's voice smiled, all traces of nervousness gone. "Hi Savannah."

"Hi Miss Peterson."

"How are you, child?"

"Alright, I guess. A little shaky, but I'm fine."

"That's good, that's good." There was the sound of papers being stacked and aligned to fit in a hole puncher, which, in fact, was the next sound they heard. "So, I just finished filing this literally as we speak, but that isn't why I called. Savannah" - her voice grew serious - "is everything alright? Is what you said in the beginning still true?"

Savannah nodded, forgetting Miss Peterson couldn't see her. "Of course it still is! This is seriously turning out to be much better than I anticipated!"

Miss Peterson's joy was truly exposed. "Oh good! I'm so happy for you, Savannah! Finally, after twelve different families you can finally last for a while!" Her joy suddenly died. "But...is what I'm seeing on the news true?"

"What are you seeing?" Savannah asked, her heart speeding up.

"Is it true that...you three went out to dinner and Mrs. Meyes ended up...well, being abducted?"

"Why is that important, Miss Peterson?" Savannah asked defensively.

"Is it true?"

"Yes it is true. Now why is that important?"

Miss Peterson sighed. "Savannah, I really don't want to remove you so soon, especially after you just said this is the best one yet, but-"

"NO!" Savannah cried, tears streaming down her face. "NO! I'm not leaving! What will happen if Mrs. Meyes comes home and finds out that I'm no longer here? How do you think that will make her feel? I am not. LEAVING!"

Mr. Meyes wrapped his arms around her. "Savannah, relax. If it's what they think is best we have no choice. We just went through this."

"No!" Savannah buried her face in Mr. Meyes' shoulder. "I just got here."

Miss Peterson's own tears could be heard through the speaker. "I'm sorry Savannah, but it's an option I'm being forced to consider. Either I remove you and put you somewhere safer temporarily or permanently, or the FBI gets a move on and starts the investigation." Her tone became an aggitated business-like tone that Savannah didn't like. "If Mrs. Meyes isn't back in three weeks I have no choice but to remove you from the Meyes family's care and find another family willing to take you in. This is only because we were informed you would be in the care of both parents, not just one. We have a time limit before we have no choice but to remove you, and I'll postpone my coming until that deadline."

Agent Rossi suddenly spoke up. "Miss Peterson?"

"Who is this?"

"My name is Agent David Rossi, I'm with the FBI. I do hope you realize we are doing everything in our power to locate Aryanna Meyes. Unfortunately, we have no leads at the moment nor have we been able to construct much of what happened."

There was a pause. "Agent David Rossi, you say?"

Agent Rossi sighed. "Yes, I was on her case to begin with."

Miss Peterson's previous tone softened ever so slightly. "Then you understand why it is important I help Savannah and keep her in a family with two parents."

"Yes, I understand."

There was another pause. "Alright. You have until June eighteenth to find Mrs. Meyes and bring her back into the house. If I do not hear that Mrs. Meyes is alive, well, and either in the hospital or back home by June eighteenth, I am coming and removing Savannah from the care of James and Aryanna Meyes."

"I understand. It's for the best," Agent Rossi said.

"Thank you. Did you hear that, Savannah?"

Savannah was too busy crying to answer.

Mr. Meyes answered for her. "Yes, she heard that. We all heard it. Thank you, Miss Peterson."

Miss Peterson replied by hanging up.

Spencer sighed. "Well, that adds to the stress of things."

Savannah nodded, wiping her eyes with her shrug sleeves (she'd put it on once in the Subaru on the way home). "I don't like her tone. She's never like that. I've never heard her talk like that before. She always was nice and polite about removing me before."

"Are you suggesting she's a part of this?" Agent Morgan asked.

"I don't know," Savannah said. "All I know is something about that tone just isn't right."

Agent Hotchner walked into the dining room as beckoned by a few police officers that had been let in just as there was a knock at the door.

Mr. Meyes gently removed Savannah's arms from his waist and started heading to the door, but Agent Prentiss raised a hand. "Wait."

Agent Hotchner and Agent Morgan both walked to the door and Agent Morgan opened it. There was no one outside, but a dark car was speeding away. A package had been left on the doorstep.

Agent Morgan and Agent Hotchner instantly ran outside and shouted for several police officers to join them. The two got into their black SUVs and drove off, followed by three police cars.

The package was quickly photographed and opened carefully with gloved hands. Inside was a black VCR tape.

The officer holding the tape asked, "Got a VCR?"

Mr. Meyes nodded and pointed to the entertainment center. "It's on the shelf directly below the TV. Let me get it set up-"

"We've got it, James," JJ said, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Relax."

There was another knock on the door. "Hey, it's only Garcia!" the person on the other side shouted.

Spencer stood and walked over to the door, opening it and saying, "Hey Garcia. Glad you could make it."

The woman that entered...this was Garcia. There was no other way to describe her.

"Me too. Is there anything I can do right now?" she asked, removing her light jacket to reveal a vertically-striped spring dress.

"Not really, no. We only just got a tape literally a minute ago," Spencer replied, taking her coat and setting it with everyone elses' on the back of the couch.

"Should I watch it with you? It might help me pinpoint what I might have to edit and stuff..." Garcia trailed off as she made eye contact with Savannah, who stared at her in curiosity. "Well hello."

Savannah waved slowly. "Hello."

Garcia narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. "Samantha, right?"

"Savannah," Savannah corrected.

Garcia nodded. "Right, sorry. I'm Penelope Garcia. I guess you could say I'm with the good guys."

"I may be young but I'm not that young. You really don't have to dumb it down for me."

"I know, but it's easier to say I'm with the good guys than to go on and say that I'm an analyst...that comes with an explanation...so...let's just leave it at I'm Penelope Garcia, I'm with the good guys, and I'm extremely tech-savvy," Garcia said.

Savannah nodded. "Alright. Makes sense, I suppose." She forced a smile.

Agent Rossi walked over. "Savannah, why don't you go upstairs with JJ while we watch this? It might be best that you don't see it."

JJ smiled and walked to the stairs. "C'mon. I've heard your room is really neat."

Savannah couldn't help herself. She started laughing. "Ha hah, neat? Ha ha, you couldn't be more wrong!" But she took the hints and obediently ran up the stairs, JJ in tow.

There were the sounds of people downstairs moving around and getting seated on the couches and floor as well as standing that came through the floor and through the cracks of her now-closed door, but the rest was...normal. Almost silent. Except for those noises and the sounds of people talking, of course.

Savannah sighed as she collapsed onto her bed, closing her eyes. _Why did this have to happen to me?_

"It didn't choose you, Savannah," JJ said.

Savannah's eyes flew open. Had she spoken her thoughts aloud?

"It could have happened to anyone," JJ continued. "You could have been with another family, and another child could have been sent to live with the Meyes. Either way, the child - you or someone else - would be subject to this same thing because the bad guys didn't choose a child this time, they chose an adult. They chose Aryanna. It very easily could have been someone else had Sean not told anyone and had Erika not told anyone and had Erika not been with Aryanna nor Sean with her either-"

"This isn't helping, you know," Savannah interrupted. "Irony of fate is, it did. Why does the dangerous always happen to me?"

JJ gave her a puzzled expression as she sat in Savannah's desk chair. "What do you mean?"

Savannah sat up and moved to the center of her bed, sitting cross-legged. She grabbed her pillow and shoved it in her lap, squeezing it against her. "I...don't really know, but I think abuse has followed me everywhere. I...when Agent Rossi asked me if I remembered my case, I first thought of my past foster parents, because they'd abused me and their children and the other foster kids. I was the one to speak out then. But when he continued, I...I saw things I no longer remember."

"What kind of things?" JJ pressed.

Savannah described the images that had flashed in her mind: the cold hand touching her bare back, the crack of that whip, the grown woman's screams, blood splattering everywhere, the blonde man stabbing the mostly-naked woman. She started to see more, and, although wimpering, she described them. There was that woman's smiling face surrounded by a ring of glowing golden light tainted red, that same blonde man laughing then growing furious and throwing his fist at something, pain, immense pain, pain undescribable to Savannah, pain worse than that endured while with her other foster parents. Blood was splattered on beautiful aqua-painted walls and on a painted white wood crib and the light wood floor and antique handwoven carpet. Bruises suddenly covered Savannah's arms, but her arms were smaller and more delicate. She looked up and she was staring at herself in a bloodsplattered, broken mirror, but it...it couldn't be her! The face in the mirror was younger, much younger, maybe seven years her junior, with blackened eyes and a broken nose and jaw, cuts and bruises and welts covering her narrow, bony face. Her hair was a cropped, tangled mess, as if someone had chopped most of it off with knives then ran their hands through it a thousand times. That face opened her broken mouth to scream, and the sound that came out was a hideous, high-pitched scream.

* * *

Savannah opened her eyes to find JJ and a teary-eyed Mr. Meyes standing over her, Agent Rossi at her feet. She realized she really had just screamed, and those things that she saw...they had once been real.

"Savannah, are you alright?" Mr. Meyes asked, but his voice was hollow-sounding, as if he was far away in a cave.

"Let her come to us," Agent Rossi said. "I think this is my fault."

JJ's face contorted in sympathy and concern. "Savannah?"

"Savannah," Mr. Meyes pleaded. He seemed as if he would turn to dust if touched he was so fragile.

Savannah sat up slowly. "Uhng..." Her body ached as if she had days-old bruises covering her entire body. She looked at her arms to be sure, but there were no bruises.

"You've been out for several hours," Agent Rossi said as Savannah took in the bland, white hospital room.

"What...happened?" Savannah asked groggily, still trying to wake up some.

JJ sighed. "I pressed you for what you could remember and you had...I'm going to guess a painful flashback because before I knew it you were screaming and passing out."

"You couldn't have screamed at a more appropriate moment, either," Mr. Meyes said. "The video had just ended, and - I'll admit it, I was crying - Garcia was about to take the tape out when the screen flashed with photos of Aryanna beforehand then photos of her afterwards..."

"Your scream corresponded perfectly, as if you had walked downstairs and simply saw her in those photos," Agent Rossi finished. "But JJ here cleared that wasn't the case, especially since you didn't leave the room."

Savannah nodded slowly. "No...just...flashbacks...scary memories...ones I'm getting back slowly."

Agent Rossi hung his head. "I'm sorry, Savannah."

"It's alright, Agent Rossi. It really isn't your fault. I would have remembered them sooner or later, no doubt. I might have watched that video, perhaps, and seen things similar to what happened..." Savannah trailed off as Mr. Meyes and Agent Rossi looked at her with two completely different expressions.

"What happened?" Mr. Meyes asked, concerned and curious while cautious, as if he knew he were most likely dealing with a cunning and deadly snake.

"You really don't know what she's enduring nor what you did, do you?" Agent Rossi asked, slightly shocked at her lack of memory.

"I...no, I don't, not really, no," Savannah answered truthfully. "All I remember is pain. Lots of pain. And blood. Fountains of it, bloodsplatter everywhere - on the walls, on a crib, on me, on...her. There was a woman and a blonde man. They...he...he..." Savannah's face contorted in the painful memories that showered from deep beneath her other memories, each one tinted a sickly shade of bruise or blood red.

Agent Rossi's hand was on hers quickly, snapping her back to reality, breathing in sharply and quickly. "Savannah..." he said softly.

Her head snapped up to meet his eyes, her dark ones wide and wild with fear.

Agent Rossi stepped back some. "It's alright. No one here is going to hurt you. Savannah...what do you remember about those people?"

Savannah shook her head. "All I remember is an angry blonde man and a pretty woman with a golden light tainted red surrounding her head."

"A reddened halo," Mr. Meyes said slowly, absorbing the words. "_The Reddened Soul_ was a book Aryanna wrote years ago, while still in college."

Agent Rossi nodded. "That would fit the records of abuse." He stroked his chin - so stereotypical, so clichéd - and added, "There was a copy found in the house. A...signed copy."

Mr. Meyes' eyes widened. "Impossible. Aryanna never signs anything besides checks and letters, and she doesn't right those often."

"Not anymore, no," Agent Rossi said. "Savannah... We may need those memories of yours. I think we can solve four cases at once with their help."

* * *

**Hee hee hee...mystery.**

**Please, you have read and now please review. I take kindly to feedback and always consider ideas.**

**Thank you for your "patronage."**

**And I feel like I'm turning into either an airline hostess or a recording, so I'm going to save and post this chapter now...**


	10. Ten-Aryanna-James

**Author's Note:**

**No, I am not ignoring Savior From The Grave.**

**Okay, maybe I am. But it's not my fault my writer's block for that particular story is really strong! I have the far future planned, not the close future! Nor do I have any cover ideas! Alas, I am starting the next chapter, but it could be a while before I post it...**

**And I don't post one but two. Gotta love that end-of-writer's-block craze! Naturally, that means my will to write will be dying, but I promise to write as much as I can.**

**This chapter is going wherever it goes. I have no major control over the flow of ideas except for one or two ideas. My subconscious is leaking and my hands are obeying its command while my writer habits take control of fixing typos and spelling errors...and I don't write much. C'mon me...**

**I really need to learn better time management.**

* * *

Aryanna winced in pain as Master Vejovis finished the last stitch on her arm. He had saved the deepest gash for last, knowing the pain would be close to unbearable. It took all of Aryanna's remaining strength to not scream directly, but to let her voice out in smaller yelps and cries. So far it worked.

Master Vejovis smiled, raising his scissors with a flair as he snipped the thread. "There. Finished!"

"At last. I have been waiting for two hours," Father Jupiter said from the shadows, catching Master Vejovis and Aesculapius off guard. Neither had seen nor heard their leader's arrival in the dimly lit basement.

Aesculapius stood slowly, picking up whatever medical supplies were his on the floor. "Should we...leave?"

Father Jupiter's voice smiled. "Yes, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Aesculapius, Master Vejovis. Your services are no longer necessary at this time."

Master Vejovis nodded, his aged smile turning into aged serious straight lips. He put a hand on Aesculapius' shoulder as he rose from picking up the medical supplies he had on the floor. "Come, Aesculapius. There is still much I must teach you."

The younger man followed the old healer, who paused on his way out to speak a few hushed words to Father Jupiter, who nodded and returned a few more hushed words before dismissing the healers.

Once the door closed, Father Jupiter stepped into the light as he seductively said, "Hera..."

Aryanna's eyes widened as she took in the form of Father Jupiter. He was tanned well, with handsome facial features and sun-bleached blonde hair that was cropped at his chin. His eyes were a bright blue, much like Sean's had been. His thin lips were curved with the ghost of a smile, one that just barely hinted at his eyes. He wore a white T-shirt beneath a sky blue plaid short-sleeve button-down left unbuttoned and untucked from his khaki shorts. Aryanna couldn't believe who she was looking at.

"H-h-h-Harvey?" Aryanna stuttered, frightened.

Father Jupiter smiled. "It's Father Jupiter now, but yes. Hello, Aryanna."

Aryanna shook her head in shock. "But...how _could_ you?! You and I were friends!"

"And who is your foster child now? Ah yes, that's right: Savannah Matthews. You know, Erika's death was a test, but Sean's death was intentional murder. Be lucky it will never happen to you. And it may just happen to Savannah and your husband, James." Father Jupiter quickly added, "Oh wait, I mean Persephone and Zeus. Your real identities don't matter in 'the temple.'"

Aryanna simply stared at her old family friend. He'd disappeared six years ago following the murder of his wife and the discovery of his daughter's being terribly physically abused...

Father Jupiter smiled, stepping forward more so he was a foot in front of her. He knew she'd figured it all out. "Yes, I did. It was so much fun. Now I get to do that to you."

Aryanna was hyperventilating as he grasped the key he held in his hand and slipped it in the lock on her manacles. As soon as they clicked open and released her, Father Jupiter was catching her and tying her wrists behind her with thick rope. Then, he picked her up as if she were nothing (which was probably the way he felt about her now, too) and carried her from the basement upstairs to a beautifully decorated bedroom with white walls, tan carpeted floor, detailed mahogany furniture, and several golden lamps. Aryanna panicked as Father Jupiter laid her on the bed in the far corner. As he laid on top of her, he started to press his lips to hers, but she moved her head away, not wanting this to be happening. Father Jupiter grew annoyed, and proceeded to press his lips to hers again, but she kept moving her head away. The more this continued, the more annoyed and frustrated Father Jupiter grew. Finally, he raised his hand and brought it down quick and hard, slapping her across the face. Tears formed in her left eye as the left cheek burned and grew hot from the brute force exerted in his blow.

"Now stop moving," Father Jupiter growled, and he kissed her. Aryanna remained still, feeling an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. It had been five years since she let anyone kiss her that she didn't trust. Now it was by someone she knew, and this someone now had homicidal tendencies.

Aryanna closed her eyes as Father Jupiter removed his clothes and, using a switchblade he pulled from his pocket, slit her dress up the middle. He put the switchblade on the bedside table before slowly sliding her black panties off and snapped her bra before proceeding to rape her. Aryanna noticed how little he seemed to care about her body, fully taking advantage of it. The fear that took control of her mind wrapped itself tightly around her as Father Jupiter wrapped himself around her. All Aryanna could do was let him rape her and pray it would be over soon.

* * *

Meanwhile...

James sighed as David sat in the doctor's office in the hospital (the sign on the door read "Dr. Mason Stone, MD"), a to-go cup of coffee in his hands. James himself stood not too far away, close to the door in case Savannah needed him. He wanted to give her his all even more than usual, most likely due to the depressing fact that Aryanna wasn't there with him to obsess over Savannah. The doctor who dominated the office was with Savannah, allowing the team and James to use his office for the time being.

Aaron sighed. "So, Rossi, you think you know who our unsub is?"

David nodded. "Our Father Jupiter is Harvey Matthews."

James' eyes widened. "He was a family friend of Aryanna's as well as a friend of Sean's."

David raised his eyebrows. "He is also Savannah's biological father."

James nearly fell to the floor. "What?!"

David nodded. "Savannah's case went cold because her father - the murderer of her own mother - disappeared. I am almost certain it is him."

Aaron said, "There's only one way to confirm it with the people we have here."

David nodded slowly and sadly. "Savannah needs to somehow identify his voice."

James braced himself against the wall as the doctor - evidently Dr. Stone - re-entered the office with a file, clipboard, and small stack of papers. "Who here is James Meyes?"

James raised his hand.

Dr. Stone handed him the paperwork. "If you sign these top pages, Savannah can be released."

James was about to sign them when Derek asked, "Wait - where are we showing her the video? If we show her back at the house, she might faint again and be brought back here."

JJ nodded. "Morgan has a point. If we showed them while she was here still she could be treated more quickly."

"IF it's necessary," David added.

James set the pen back down on the clipboard, handing it back to Dr. Stone. "Looks like I'll sign those later."

Dr. Stone nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help? This isn't the first time I have been with you all."

Spencer entered the office. "Oh, hey Dr. Stone."

"Dr. Reid! What a pleasant...nevermind. This isn't all that pleasant actually," Dr. Stone said, shaking Spencer's hand.

Spencer shook his head. "Not really, no, unfortuantely."

"How's Amy doing? How much has she recovered?" Dr. Stone asked as he set the clipboard down on his desk and began to sift through papers.

"Pretty well, complaining often enough, but she's recovering from it all very well," Spencer relayed.

Dr. Stone smiled. "That's wonderful. I don't mean to sound rude or cruel, but if I ever have to see her again, I hope she's either walking or on her way into surgery to walk again. It's a shame when someone her age loses that treasured ability."

"Agreed," Aaron said, then asked, "Now, is there anywhere we can privately show Savannah the video?"

Dr. Stone set down his papers and looked to the ceiling. "I can possibly get a VCR and hook it up to the television in here for you."

"That would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Dr. Stone," Aaron said.

Dr. Stone nodded. "Let me get that and I'll also get Savannah in here for you as well. It shouldn't take me long."

Aaron nodded, and David said, "Thanks, Doctor."

Dr. Stone nodded and left the room holding a ring of keys he took from his pants' pocket.

James closed his eyes and hung his head. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing? I don't want to hurt Savannah by making her watch the video."

"You don't have to be in here with us, James," David said. "You can leave the room if you want."

James shook his head. "It's not me I'm worried about, David. It's how Savannah will react to it all. The video's unbelievably graphic for a child her age. How can we be sure she can handle it?"

"Because she's lived something similar and survived," David said. "James, you really don't know her case, do you?"

James opened his eyes and shook his head.

David sighed and walked over to him slowly. "James... The abuse that went on in her birth family's household should have killed her. Almost everyone bone in her body had been broken at least twice, she was extremely underweight, and when we found her finally she was bound, gagged, unconscious, and left for dead next to the body of her mother, Carina Blaire-Matthews. It was clear she was dying of blood loss, had a severe concussion, and the extent of her wounds at the time were unknown. Once in the hospital, it was declared she was bruised to the extremes, had open cuts covering just about every inch of her skin, and there were plenty of old scars from past abuse as well. One thing was also certain: there had been sexual assault as well."

"Good God!" James cried.

David nodded. "I know. To top it all off, when she finally regained consciousness, she remembered none of it. She only remembered who she was and the basics, but nothing else about her past. It wasn't amnesia, though, nor brain damage."

James closed his eyes. "It was self-hypnosis."

Everyone looked at him as if he was insane.

James opened his eyes and sighed. "If someone is over-traumatized, they can tell themselves to forget it and, if done so with enough strength, can hypnotize themselves into forgetting anything they want to forget. I've tried before, but to no success. I clearly remember what I wished to forget." When everyone looked at him with curious eyes, James shook his head. "I...it's not important."

With that, Savannah and Dr. Stone re-entered the room with the VHS player and Garcia, who carried the dreaded VHS tape itself.

* * *

**Sorry this is so short. It should even out next chapter.**


	11. Eleven-Savannah

Savannah didn't know what to expect as Dr. Stone handed the VCR to Agent Morgan, who hooked it up to the TV in the far corner of the office. Garcia handed him the tape she carried in, and that was when Savannah knew she was to be watching the tape. Instantly her body was shaking, and the tape hadn't even been put in the VHS.

Mr. Meyes shook his head and rubbed his face with his hands. "I had a feeling this wasn't a good idea."

"It's the only way to prove it's him," Agent Rossi said.

Savannah's knees buckled as she shook, and instantly Mr. Meyes was catching her and carrying her over to a chair. "I don't want to see it. I don't want to see her. It made you cry. What will it do to me?"

Mr. Meyes' eyes were tearing up again. "I know you don't want to see it. I don't want to see it again either. But we have to be strong and watch the video so we can try to identify who Father Jupiter is. It's the only way to prove who it is. If you recognize the voice, they know who it is."

Savannah nodded slowly, wrapping her arms around Mr. Meyes shoulders. "Don't leave me."

It was obvious Mr. Meyes' heart broke, as his voice was soft and fragile. "I won't, Savannah." The tears were evident in his voice. "I won't leave you. I will never leave you."

Savannah nodded and looked at Agent Rossi, who closed his eyes and said, "Play the tape, Hotch."

Agent Hotchner wiped his eyes with his thumbs before pressing a button on the VCR. Instantly the screen displayed Mrs. Meyes chained by her wrists and dangling from the ceiling. That image alone looked shockingly familiar.

"Mom..." Savannah whispered. "Just like Mom..."

Mr. Meyes shifted his arm so he could gauge her reaction. So far, Savannah's eyes were widening, her bottom lip quivering, and her grip on Mr. Meyes' left hand tightening as Father Jupiter spoke.

"Now...experiment!" he shouted.

Savannah screamed. "NO! DADDY DON'T HURT HER!"

"TURN IT OFF!" Agent Rossi cried as Savannah fought against Mr. Meyes' suddenly iron grip around her waist as she tried to rush to the TV to...do something. She hadn't thought that through. She wanted to save Mrs. Meyes, but how could she do that when she didn't even know where she was?

Agent Morgan instantly pulled the plug on the TV, not bothering to turn off the TV and VCR properly.

Savannah kept on shouting at the blank TV screen. "Daddy, don't hurt her! Daddy, what's wrong with you? Daddy, stop it! It hurts! Daddy how could you?!"

Mr. Meyes slowly began to speak in a calming voice, but his voice was lost in her shouts.

JJ finally walked over and put her hands on Savannah's shoulders, her head blocking the TV. "Savannah, hush. It's over. There's nothing we can do at the moment. It's already happened."

Savannah's breathing slowly returned to normal (she never realized she'd been hyperventilating) as her heart slowed to a steady beat. Mr. Meyes' grip on her loosened as Savannah began to sit. She missed the chair, however, and instead found herself sitting cross-legged on the rough blue carpet.

Dr. Stone came over and looked at her face, shining a quick light in her eyes before pressing his fingers to her wrist and looking at his watch. "Good." He stood, then said, "Feel free to ask her. She's medically stable."

Agent Rossi nodded, then knelt to look at Savannah better. "Savannah...are you sure that was your father's voice?"

Savannah nodded furiously. "I know that voice. Everything was fuzzy a few minutes ago, but now it's crystal clear. That man...my father...he killed my mother right in front of me. Years...six years of neglect and abuse...and Aryanna!"

Everyone jumped at her sudden cry of the woman's name. Agent Hotchner asked, "What about her?"

Savannah swallowed before she explained. "She was a good friend of my parents, over almost every week with her boyfriend then fiancée then eventually and obviously husband Sean. Whenever they were over, I was never there. My father would lock me in my room, sometimes tying me up and gagging me and throwing me in the old baby crib he'd modified to make a cage for me. As soon as they would leave, my father would take me out of my room and start beating me in the basement, throwing me against the walls and floor, punching me, kicking me, everything. Then he'd put me in a dog crate and grab my mother and do the same to her, but she'd always get it worse. He wouldn't stop until he was exhausted, and when he was he'd choke her until she was unconscious. Then he'd drag her and put her in the dog crate with me before taking me out and taking me to the kitchen. He liked to boil water then pour it on my...you know, down there...then shove me in an ice bath before he finally put me in the baby crib and went to bed. It didn't matter what time it was; it would simply happen. He rarely beat us anywhere other than the basement, but there were times where he would beat my mother in the kitchen then make her prepare a huge meal, making us watch him eat it all, then she'd be forced to cook another feast and then he'd invite some of his friends over. I'm pretty sure that his friends were actually other members of the cult, but I really wouldn't know at the moment. Aryanna was there at lot on what I figured were the weekends (I didn't get to look at a calendar much), and my mom liked to read her books when my father wasn't home. I think Aryanna knew about the abuse, but I don't think she knew about me."

Savannah paused. "Can I...simply get this all off my chest? I'm really not too sure what could be helpful for you guys, but this is really helpful for me."

Agent Rossi nodded. "Of course. Say whatever you want."

Savannah nodded. "Thanks. Just a warning: my memories are unbelievably graphic."

Agent Rossi waved his hand. "We're used to it."

Spencer swallowed before nodding for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, she did. "The final time he hurt us... I think it was a Thursday from the way it felt, but I couldn't be sure: I hardly knew how to speak and read let alone tell time and read a calendar. My mother had been caught reading to me - the book was one of our favorites mostly because it seemed so fake compared to what we were going through - and my father was furious. He grabbed the book from my mother and grabbed my wrist, yanking me from my mother's protective grasp. My mother actually fought this time, yelling at him to stop because what he was doing was wrong, but my father simply decked her and dragged me away. My mother followed, trying to get me away from him, only to be picked up and thrown down the basement stairs. There were so many snaps I was surprised when she tried to get back up again. My father then dragged me downstairs and tied me up and gagged me before beating my mother more. Then he untied me and chained me by my wrists to the ceiling, taking out his whip and began to whip me. My mother kept screaming at him, telling him to stop because it was wrong, but he kept calling her Hera and me Persephone, shouting that we were bound for the Fields of Punishment due to our being Greek and not Roman like he was. I didn't understand it back then, only understanding that this time, he was going to kill us. The last thing I remembered was him starting to stab my mother before the world went dark. The next thing I see is the bright lights of the hospital, feeling panicked because I didn't know where I was but I knew it couldn't be good. Had someone found out and called the police and had me taken away? I told myself I had to stop this mess because nothing could bring my mother back - I knew she was dead because I remember my father shouting, "THIS IS OVERKILL!" while he was stabbing her before I blacked out - and as soon as I saw you, Agent Rossi, standing out in the hallway talking to a man in a white coat that I later learned was my doctor, I told myself I had to forget everything so I could protect my mother despite her being dead. I told myself the only way to help would be to forget, that I'd be doing something for myself that I deserved and needed to do. I needed to forget. I wanted to forget. The next thing I knew was I knew nothing."

Mr. Meyes had collapsed onto the floor next to her, his head hanging in his hands, crying silently. Agent Prentiss and JJ were almost holding each other, JJ crying and Agent Prentiss biting her lip to prevent herself from crying. Agent Morgan looked like he was about to kill something or someone. Agent Hotchner looked...well, impassive, minus those tears that trickled from his eyes. Agent Rossi closed his eyes and shook his head as Spencer collapsed in the chair behind Mr. Meyes, in tearful shock. Garcia's right hand was pressed to her mouth as she watched from behind her laptop at Dr. Stone's desk. Dr. Stone himself was shaking his head in the corner, eyes closed.

Agent Rossi was the first to speak. "That's...quite the memory."

Spencer closed his eyes and sputtered, "This is what Aryanna is probably going through now."

Garcia jumped quite suddenly. "Got it!"

Everyone turned their heads to face her.

"The address...the only place listed under any of the possible aliases Harvey Matthews could have used is an old hunting lodge. Oddly enough, it's in Hazard, Kentucky," Garcia said.

"The alias?" Agent Hotchner asked.

Garcia giggled. "He's so uncreative: Matthew Harvey Jupiter."

Agent Hotchner nodded. "And the address?"

"Just off Campbell Fork Road. There is no definitive address."

Agent Hotchner nodded again. "Thanks. We're heading there right away. JJ, call and get us a SWAT team. I want to be there as soon as possible. That video ended as if she was going to die."

The team ran about in a frenzy, leaving Mr. Meyes and Savannah sitting on the floor amidst it all. Eventually, Mr. Meyes stood and helped Savannah to her feet.

"We've got a SWAT team!" JJ called from the hallway where she had gone to make the phone call.

"Good! Now let's go!" Agent Hotchner shouted.

Everyone began to leave the room as Mr. Meyes shouted, "Spencer!"

Spencer stopped and turned to face his brother-in-law. "Yeah, James?"

Mr. Meyes closed his eyes and said, "Promise you'll get her. Promise you'll bring her back alive and safe. Please. I don't care if you break that promise, I just need to hear it."

Spencer sighed. "James, I'll do whatever I can to make sure she's brought back alive, but I can hardly tell you that I promise you that she will be. No one ever informed me of a profile having been made. We simply had our suspect and then had an address. He's violent and strong, that's all I know. I'll call you as soon as everything's over, okay?"

Mr. Meyes sighed. "Alright. Thanks, Spencer." He let the agent run after his team, leaning against the door frame of the office.

Garcia tried to smile. "They'll catch him. They always do the right thing in the end."

"Not with Amy - but then they fixed their mistake and now he's dead. Nevermind." Savannah closed her mouth before she said anything else she would regret.

Mr. Meyes turned his head to face Savannah, and Savannah's heart shattered when she saw how broken he looked. It pained Savannah to see him so upset, especially since this whole event marked the first time she ever saw a grown man cry. This was too much in one...night? Morning? Day? She didn't even know how long she'd been out - she'd only been told she'd been out for several hours, but that wasn't specific enough to even guess at a time, since she had no idea what time it was when she passed out. Savannah finally managed to walk over to Mr. Meyes and hug him.

"I want to go home," she whispered.

Mr. Meyes put his hand on her back as he turned back into the office and walked slowly inside. "Dr. Stone, may we leave?"

Dr. Stone nodded, handing him the original set of release forms. "Here you are."

Mr. Meyes signed them quickly, then chuckled. "Those could be worth money, you know."

Dr. Stone laughed. "They'd be worth more if you were still in the league."

Mr. Meyes shrugged. "Maybe. But I am married to Aryanna Meyes, so who knows?"

Dr. Stone chuckled, understanding the need for lightening the mood. "Take care, you two."

Garcia stood. "Can I get a ride with you two, James?"

Mr. Meyes smiled. "Of course, Penelope. C'mon."

The three soon left the hospital in the Subaru (thankfully Mr. Meyes had been swayed to take the Subaru to the hospital instead of going with Savannah in the ambulance).

The three soon arrived at the Meyes' Richardsville home, and as soon as they were inside Garcia set up her laptop in the living room. The police who had been in the house were gone, the sun just beginning to rise. It was already 5 o'clock AM, and no one had slept. Well, technically Savannah had, but that was different.

Mr. Meyes began clearing coffee mugs as Savannah went upstairs to change her clothes into something more casual, which happened to be denim capris and a white T-shirt with various cancer ribbons on it (including the teal ovarian cancer one, which brought tears to Savannah's eyes as she remembered her first day in the Meyes house when Mrs. Meyes had told her she had ovarian cancer when she was thirteen). Once changed, Savannah then walked into Mrs. Meyes' office, where she found the books she had been reading still spread out on the floor and on the beanbag chairs. She carefully took the ones she hadn't read as well as the one she was currently reading downstairs with her. She scanned the book titles. The one she was currently reading was entitled _Fate's Inner Circle_, a beautiful yet sad fantasy story of a cancer patient who gets drawn into this fantasy land where she must save the fairies. It was obvious the cancer patient was similar to Mrs. Meyes, but the sadness that filled the story didn't take away from the beauty of the language and magical setting Mrs. Meyes had painted for her readers. It was a true work of art.

However, this wasn't the one she was looking for. Savannah looked at the titles before finally seeing one that caught her eye: _The Reddened Soul_. She carefully removed that one from her pile and sat in the armchair, curling up and reading the first page.

_She knew her friend Isabel was dying. It was plain by the amount of red surrounding her usual golden glow. She knew the redness shouldn't be there - the glows never changed color before - but why did she feel that either Isabel had caused it...or she had?_

_She ran her hand along Isabel's stomach until she found the hole in the girl's abdomen where the blade had slipped through. Her heart raced as she concentrated on what she had to do. Maybe she could fix the glow and make it gold again. Maybe she could save Isabel. Maybe... The little mute focused her energy on her friend's wound and poured her emotions through her heart and mind and through her arms and hands until they reached the wound. The wound began to seal itself, and Isabel's heart began to return to the normal pace for a human. She smiled as Isabel opened her eyes._

_"Thank you, my friend. You saved my life,' Isabel said, her voice high and melodic like her name suggested._

_The little mute smiled and rested her head on Isabel's chest, listening to her heart. Budum. Budum. Budum. Budum. It was a beautiful sound. It wasn't often she heard a heart beat like that. She was used to the quick succession of beats of hers, along with the pain..._

Savannah became immersed in the story, remembering so much about it as she read it. This was the story her mother used to read to her all the time. The little mute and Isabel were finally freed from the Dragon Lord Iremous in the end, Savannah remembered, and the little mute learned to speak again. It was a sweet story, but something about it sounded familiar. Isabel seemed like a real person, and so did the little mute. The little mute should have been older than Isabel, and the two should have loved each other like mothers and daughters do.

As there was a knock on the door, the characters clicked in Savannah's mind.

Mr. Meyes quickly walked over to the door and opened it slowly. There was no one outside, not even that dark car, but there was a package next to the door.

Garcia quickly snapped photos of it and handled it with gloved hands as she opened the box and took out the VHS, slipping it in the VCR after an approving nod from Mr. Meyes. The two sat on the couch as the image of Mrs. Meyes was shown on the screen.

Savannah gasped. Her foster mother looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, her arms were stitched up beyond belief, her skin was covered in bruises and cuts, and she looked like she was in physical discomfort. It was obvious she must have felt the strain on her arms as she dangled from the ceiling of the earthen room by her wrists, the manacles cutting into her skin. Red blood dripped from her wrists, jaw, a few of the cuts on other parts of her body, and a small puddle of blood was forming directly beneath her. She no longer wore her black dress from dinner, and instead wore an ancient Greek-style white one-shoulder chiffon that was being stained red in some areas. One particular area caused Mr. Meyes to cry out in horror. Savannah was instantly in pain looking at her, curling up into the fetal position.

A familiar voice came from behind the camera. "Recruits!"

Instantly nine young teens were standing in a line in front of Mrs. Meyes, their hands clasped behind their backs. "Yes, Father Jupiter?"

Father Jupiter - the familiar voice of Savannah's father - sighed. "I am very disappointed in you all. You nearly killed her with your first attempt. You should know I do not give second chances."

The nine men hung their heads and knelt.

Father Jupiter chuckled. "Bacchus?"

Instantly a stout man came walking forward with a gold chalice, holding it to each of the teen's lips for them to drink.

"The last drink you shall ever have...shall be the one that kills you," Father Jupiter said as the first teen grabbed his throat and collapsed to the ground, dead. Each of the teens followed suit as if they were dominos on a delay system.

Bacchus poured the contents of the chalice on the ground before disappearing off-camera.

There was a small commotion behind the camera as someone moved behind it and came in front of the camera. The man wore black riding pants, tall riding boots, and a white army-style button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His skin was tan, the parts of his arms that were exposed covered in scars, and his hair... Savannah moaned at the sight of his blonde hair.

Mr. Meyes and Garcia turned to face her. "You're still in here?" Mr. Meyes asked as she came over and curled up next to him. He had tears in his eyes, but nothing more as he wrapped his arm around her. Garcia's mascara was starting look...questionable.

Savannah nodded. "I was reading."

Mr. Meyes looked at the stack of books and saw _The Reddened Soul_, nodding. "I see."

Savannah shifted in his arm so she could see Mrs. Meyes.

Father Jupiter was standing behind her, his face covered by shadows. "Hera."

Mrs. Meyes picked up her head ever so slightly. "What?" she whispered, her voice cracking and hoarse.

There was a sudden _crack!_ and Mrs. Meyes screamed. Savannah jumped at the high-pitched sound, breathing heavily.

Bacchus - she knew it was him somehow - shouted from behind the camera, "What have we said about talking?!"

"Bacchus, ENOUGH!" Father Jupiter ordered. "I am mad. GET OUT."

There was a weak, "Yes Father Jupiter!" followed by the sound of someone scurrying away and opening and closing a door.

Father Jupiter shook his head. "Everyone else, OUT."

More people left the room. A few minutes after the last person had left and the door had closed Father Jupiter relaxed. "There. There shall be no more tests."

There was another _crack!_ followed by Mrs. Meyes' scream. This was followed by Father Jupiter's laughter, and another _crack!_ and scream. There was a clatter as Father Jupiter dropped something on the ground as he laughed. Suddenly he was calm and standing behind her, his face partially covered by her back. She was suddenly collapsing in his arms, blood dripping from her back. Savannah winced at the memory of similar pain, and wondered how Mrs. Meyes could bear it without making some sort of sound. That's when she saw that Mrs. Meyes' lips were moving, tears streaming from her eyes. She simply couldn't speak loud enough to be heard by the camera.

Father Jupiter smiled, his face now visible. Savannah gasped at the familar features, as did Mr. Meyes. Father Jupiter whispered something in Mrs. Meyes' ear, and she closed her eyes, obviously submitting. With that, Father Jupiter began to beat her. It was so similar to what he had done in the past to Savannah and her mother that Savannah found herself predicting his moves. As he shoved her against the wall, her head slamming against it with a dreadful _crack!_, Savannah bit her lip and felt her hands moving up to her neck as Father Jupiter's right hand encased Mrs. Meyes' own throat. He was obviously smiling and laughing as she fought for breath before her head collapsed and her body went limp, unconscious. Father Jupiter did not let her go for another thirty seconds before releasing his hold on her neck and letting her fall to the ground. He knelt by her side and pressed his fingers to her wrist.

"No pulse, no breathing. Time...for revival," Father Jupiter whispered loudly, then started doing CPR and mouth-to-mouth recessitation. She came back to life after three rounds, still unconscious, however. With this in mind, Savannah watched as he stood and carefully brought down his foot just above her rib cage, pressing until the cracks were heard. He removed his foot and stood above Mrs. Meyes to observe his handiwork.

"Yes, that will do. I still have a canvass to work on. Everyone must know she is still mine." With that, Father Jupiter turned around, walked behind the camera, and zoomed in on Mrs. Meyes' limp body before shutting off the video.

There was silence in the room as the screen went dark and stayed dark. Garcia, whose mascara and eyeliner had dripped down her face with her tears, stood slowly to remove the tape.

Mr. Meyes quite suddenly pulled Savannah closer to him and whispered, "I will never make this up to her. I am so sorry, Aryanna. I am so sorry, Savannah. Neither of you should have to experience this. Neither of you should have to know the pain..."

Savannah shook her head into Mr. Meyes' chest. "I know the pain anyways."

Mr. Meyes replied, "I know, but you shouldn't have to. None of this should have happened. If only I..."

Garcia looked at Mr. Meyes in confusion. "If only you what?"

Mr. Meyes shook his head. "It's not important."

Savannah and Garcia sighed, Savannah further curling up in Mr. Meyes lap as if he were her real father, the one that loved her and was proud to have contributed to her creation.


	12. Twelve-Aryanna-Reid

**Author's Note:**

**Here comes...the intense moments. And a surprisingly short chapter.**

**By the way, if you ever feel like I need to change the rating, please, do let me know because I like to have the proper rating on my stories. If something seems more M-rated than T-rated, let me know, and I'll fix it. I mention this now only because I've brought up Savannah and Aryanna's very disturbing pasts, along with Aryanna's torture and information on Erika and Sean, plus this chapter will probably be pretty...intense...for a lack of better words. So please, let me know if the rating needs to be changed or something, and PM me with requests/ideas you have. I cannot guarantee I'll use them exactly as you may wish, but I always consider them and use even a teenie bit of them.**

* * *

Aryanna jolted awake as a sharp snapping sound rang in her ears. Instantly she weakly cried out in pain as definitely-broken ribs caused her chest to explode and burn and her limbs ached. The movement of her jaw caused a wound on her lips to reopen and bleed, causing her even more pain. The minimal scabbing on her back from the whipping was somewhat removed due to that jolt, more pain and blood seeping from her body. Tears instantly streamed from her eyes as she looked down at herself. No more was she hanging by her wrists; rather, now she was sitting tied to a chair, her blood soaking the stiff, scratchy rope and the once-pure-white chiffon she wore. In a way, she wished she was still hanging by her wrists. At least she really couldn't move much that way and therefore couldn't cause herself any unnecessary pain. Sitting tied to the chair, however, she could move, meaning she could cause herself pain, and the rope aggravated old wounds as well as cut off the circulation to certain areas.

Almost as soon as she had gathered in her new positioning and the new setting - no longer was she in that dirt basement; rather, she was in another room, but she couldn't be sure where due to the blatant lack of furniture and windows - Father Jupiter stepped in front of her.

"Your friends will be here any minute," he said softly as he squatted in front of her, holding a Colt 1911 Pistol and a stretch of cloth. "I don't want them getting the idea that they can get you without a fight." With that, he slipped the cloth into Aryanna's mouth, tying it tightly behind her head.

He didn't seem to like her appearance, as he suddenly decked her, tipping her chair back. He quickly righted the chair before kicking her over again, this time pulling out a knife and stabbing her in the chest-and-stomach-area non-fatally seven times. She was left gasping for breath as the pain ate at her mind. Her vision flickered and flashed as Father Jupiter held something and stabbed her with it in the arm. With that, he disappeared somewhere behind her.

Several minutes later, the sound of armored cars and SUVs driving and skidding to a stop reached their location, followed by the sound of people in heavy bulletproof armor: the SWAT, no doubt. A few minutes later there was the sound of a door being broken down and people running in and checking rooms. Aryanna could hear the familiar voices of her brother's team: Aaron Hotchner, Derrek Morgan, David Rossi, JJ, even Emily Prentiss. And of course, there was Spencer.

She could feel herself beginning to lose consciousness as Spencer's voice neared their location. Father Jupiter seemed to notice this as well, and therefore moved farther back in the room before there was the sound of shooting and then the door being slammed open, revealing a bulletproof vest-wearing Spencer, gun drawn and shocked. He must not have expected to see her this way, because he was instantly rushing over to her and pulling out her gag as he holstered his gun.

* * *

Reid couldn't believe her condition. His sister hadn't looked this bad after Sean and Erika's murder! Then again, that _was_ after _quite_ a bit of treatment.

"Hotch, I've found her," Reid said into his radio.

"_Fantastic. Stay with her. We need to locate Harvey Matthews before we can safely remove her from the lodge_," Hotch replied through the radio.

"Got it," Reid said before focusing on his wounded sister. "Aryanna, are you alright?"

Aryanna opened her mouth to speak, but hardly a sound came out. She finally managed to croak out, "Spencer." The rest of her words were lost. Reid could only imagine how much pain she was in. It was obvious more torture had gone on after the video. Maybe a second had been sent while they were gone?

* * *

Spencer bit his lip and began to untie her. "I'm going to start to get you out of here, okay? Once I get the okay from Hotch we can get you to a hospital where you can recover-"

"Spencer," Aryanna croaked again, shaking her head despite the pain. "It's no use. He's here."

Spencer looked at her in confusion. "Who's here?"

Father Jupiter came out of the shadows behind Aryanna and said, "Me."

* * *

Reid was almost instantly on his feet and drawing his gun. Why had he put it away?! "Hotch, forget finding Harvey Matthews: he's right here in front of me."

"_WHAT?!_" Morgan cried through the radio. "_That son of a-_"

"_We're heading your way now; everyone else is in custody_," Hotch said through the radio. "_And Morgan: calm down._"

Harvey Matthews smiled, aiming his pistol at Aryanna's temple. "How easy it is to manipulate you who care about others."

Reid narrowed his eyes, trying to clear his head of the anger that flooded his mind. He fixed his stance and his grip on his gun as he aimed for Harvey Matthews rather than Aryanna, where his gun had strayed. "You manipulated Sean the same way, just as you managed to manipulate your wife, preventing your daughter from an education and, eventually, much of her life. It's taken her six years-"

"And those six years were well-deserved!" Harvey Matthews interrupted. "That book ruined everything. My power came to an end in the household, which is why I make the perfect Father Jupiter. Now, are you going to put that gun down, or do I have to teach you a lesson first?" As if to prove his point, he set his finger on the trigger. Reid began to panic. He wasn't entirely prepared to talk this man off his high horse, especially after what he had done to his sister.

* * *

Aryanna's head swam with fear and purposeless adrenaline as well as pain. Mind-numbing pain. Mind-numbing pain..._ Not mind-numbing pain, mind-numbing __**painkillers**__!_ Aryanna's thoughts shouted quite suddenly, finally understanding the numbness she was beginning to feel as well as the arm-stabbing before. _Start an addiction or an overdose, you get eventual, slow, painful death. He couldn't have commit the more perfect crime_.

* * *

Reid readied his stance, prepared to fire if absolutely necessary.

* * *

Spencer's figure was growing blurry and distorted, his gun flying somewhere next to his ear before drooping to the floor before going back up to his ear again. Aryanna's eyelids fluttered some as she fought unconsciousness. If she was to die, she'd rather die and know she was dying. No doubt the painkillers - probably depressants like benzodiazepines due to the drowsiness she was experiencing - would cause her to pass out first then kill her... Her train of thought was interrupted by loud booming noises and searing pain in her arms and stomach.

The last thing she remembered was Spencer dropping his gun and reaching for her as if she were too far away, followed by Aaron Hotchner and Derrek Morgan running around them to get to Father Jupiter...then she blacked out.

* * *

Reid knew he had to do it: he simply fired. There was no stopping it as he, Harvey Matthews, and Morgan all fired their weapons. Harvey collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from where one of Reid's bullets hit his chest. Morgan and Hotch instantly ran over to him, making sure he was still alive. Reid instantly dropped his gun and nearly tripped as he rushed to untie his now-unconscious sister. She'd been hit; that's all he knew. She'd been hit six times, each of the wounds clearly visible. Reid was hurrying to untie Aryanna, but when she finally was untied, the paramedics were already in the room, so they quickly loaded her onto a stretcher and out of the lodge.

Reid turned to Hotch and Morgan. Hotch was shaking his head, Morgan having walked away and kicking the wall in frustration. "What's wrong?"

Hotch sighed. "No pulse, no breathing. Reid, you did it. He's dead. Harvey Matthews is dead."

* * *

She could still feel the pain even while unconscious and surrounded by a brilliant white light. Then, suddenly, it stopped, and the light died. Tears nearly sprung up in her eyes as the setting around her settled in and cleared up some. She was in that old coffee shop that she had met Sean in ten years back. She wore white jeans with grey-brown heeled booties, a grey V-neck tank top, and a brown jacket with golden studs. The outfit was one of her favorites while in college, especially with the green tye-dye scarf she wrapped loosely around her neck. Next to her in the booth was her familiar old purse with her inspiration book, wallet, several pens and pencils, her phone, a few hair-ties, and assorted make-up items (the basic eyeshadow pallet, blush, foundation, mascara, and brown eyeliner) all stuffed inside. She smiled as she lifted the to-go cup of her chai tea latte to her lips, savoring the slight spice and the heat with closed eyes. Someone sat across from her, and she set her tea down to look at him.

It was Sean.

She hadn't seen Sean in five years, and the sight of him made her eyes water. His familiar electric blue eyes danced, his fair skin glowing slightly, his black hair tousled slightly. He wore a white suit with a black button-down shirt, shoes, and belt as well as a white tie. His left ring finger still wore the wedding band from their marriage. This caused Aryanna to look down at her left hand. James' engagement ring was gone, as was their wedding band, leaving her hand bare. This disturbed her greatly due to superstition, but she tried not to worry about it. After all, she was with Sean. Now was not the time to think of James...unfortunately.

Sean smiled as she did, taking her thin hands in his. "Hello Aryanna."

"Sean," Aryanna said, surprised at the clarity of her voice. He was really there in front of her.

Sean stood and walked around the table to sit next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "How's my model doing?"

Aryanna buried her face into Sean's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. "I was barely holding on before. Now...now everything is perfect. I have you."

Sean seemed to smile wider as he kissed the top of her head, chuckling slightly. "I've missed you. It's so lonely here without you."

"Well, where's Erika?" Aryanna asked, slightly wishing she could see her as well.

Alas, Sean's smile seemed to fade. "She's with her birth parents. They were happily reunited before I came here. I haven't seen her without them since."

Aryanna smiled sadly, sitting up slightly. "I see."

Sean sighed. "I'm sorry we've been reunited under such terrible circumstances, especially with you not truly understanding motives."

Aryanna shrugged. "I found out about the abuse and published it in the form of _The Reddened Soul_. Harvey must have hated me for it, so he punished me by killing you two."

Sean chuckled. "It's cute, really, how you try to blame our deaths on you, when really, it's us to blame. Well, me really."

Aryanna sat up all the way, giving him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Sean sighed. "Harvey...Aryanna, I was once a Hermes, just as Erika was once a Persephone and you were just a Hera."

Aryanna looked at him with bulging eyes and lips parted in ghastly horror. "No...impossible! You would have told me!"

Sean shook his head. "Harvey threatened to kill you if I told anyone. I finally convinced him I wouldn't tell anyone about it, mostly due to the fact I couldn't bear to live with the knowledge that he had once, well, pardon my language, but he had once fucked me. But then he actually began sending threats on my life to the office...that's when I hired security. You would never believe who that security guard was."

Aryanna was too shocked to speak.

Sean sighed. "You married him."

Aryanna gasped. "James?!"

Sean nodded. "Erika told him her story, I told him mine. We both paid the price. Erika paid for it quickly because they needed to silence her the fastest due to the fact she had told four people, but they made the both of us pay because we knew too much. I knew the reasonings behind the murders, you knew the Father Jupiter's real identity and what he was capable of and had heard Erika's story."

Aryanna began to shiver, so Sean pulled her closer to him, wrapping her in his warm arms. "So...were you...reuinted...with your family?"

Sean shrugged. "I met with them briefly, but since they had been there for so much longer and I so much older than Erika, I didn't stay. Instead, I've been waiting for you, Aryanna."

Aryanna pursed her lips, but snuggled in closer to Sean. "Now you can have me."


	13. Thirteen-Various

_The doctors quickly raced out to the Kentucky state police helicopter landing and helped the officers onboard get the stretcher down carrying the unconscious, young, brunette woman who was identified as Aryanna Meyes as soon as a FBI agent whose name, he claimed, was Dr. Spencer Reid told several doctors and nurses what had happened._

_"Her allergies to penicillin could be a problem," one doctor said as they rushed her down to the OR, keeping the oxygen mask from the helicopter on her. He was an older man in his mid-to-late sixties with grey hair, glasses, and the deep green eyes of an Irishman, along with the accent to match. His name was Dr. John Shaughnessy._

_A younger female doctor by the name of Dr. Lisa Drew, who was in her late twenties, early thirties with hazel eyes, nodded. "It will limit what we can give her, that's for sure," she said as the door to the already-waiting OR opened. She quickly put her brown hair in a ponytail and slipped on her hospital mask as several surgeons raced in..._

_...hours later..._

_"We're losing her!" Dr. Shaughnessy shouted as Aryanna's monitors began to run wild. "Heart rate is dropping fast! She may be going into shock."_

_"Shock? From what?!" Dr. Drew cried frantically._

_"We won't know until her blood work gets back from the lab," Dr. Shaughnessy admitted._

_"CPR?" Dr. Drew asked quickly, taking in the known information._

_"It may be our only hope," Dr. Shaughnessy said sadly as he gave the affirmative nod._

_"Then let's take it!" Dr. Drew exclaimed as she began the chest compressions..._

_...hours later..._

_"Vitals have improved significantly, she's breathing and has a heart rate that will sustain life, and the bullets are all out. I do believe that is all we can do here and now. Let's get her in the ICU," Dr. Shaughnessy said._

_"Dr. Shaughnessy," Dr. Drew said quickly. "Her blood results have gotten in. We have a serious problem."_

_Aryanna's monitors began to run wild again._

_"What is this problem?" Dr. Shaughnessy asked quickly, growing agitated. "Why does she keep failing on us?"_

_"She had extreme numbers of benzodiazepines in her system. Way higher than the normal dosage," Dr. Drew said, quickly showing Dr. Shaughnessy the chart. "On top of that, the lab found the painkiller dilaudid in her system. At the time, it was at twenty-five milligrams."_

_Dr. Shaughnessy sighed. "No wonder her heart's starting to fail. These are depressants, and as her brain slows, it'll tell her heart to slow. And dilaudid makes her heart weak."_

_"What should we do?" Dr. Drew asked._

_"Find someone who can make the decision. Either we get her on a rapid detox, or she dies," Dr. Shaughnessy said quickly as he started another round of CPR, and Dr. Drew fled the room quickly._

* * *

Reid paced back and forth as he waited to hear word about his sister. He'd called James to let him know that as of that moment, she was still alive, as well as informing him what hospital they were in. James had informed him they received another tape, something Reid had figured had happened. He told James to stay where he was for now, since Aryanna was in the OR, and the nervous man had reluctantly listened and agreed.

Now, Reid had waited for nearly eight hours before a pretty, young, female doctor approached him. Her scrubs were somewhat covered in Aryanna's blood.

"Dr. Reid?" she asked as she approached, her voice accented Pennsylvania-Dutch.

"Yes?" he asked as he walked over quickly.

"I am Dr. Lisa Drew. Dr. John Shaughnessy and I have been working together on Aryanna Meyes, and we need to contact someone who can make an extremely important medical decision. The sooner the better," she said.

Reid sighed. "Her father's very distant, and her mother passed away two years ago. Her husband is still in Virginia at my insistence. I can make the decision if absolutely necessary."

"We need someone related or married to her," Dr. Drew insisted.

"I am her brother."

Dr. Drew nodded. "Then yes, you can make this decision." She handed him a chart with Aryanna's blood test results. "Dr. Reid, Aryanna's in the middle of a possible OD of depressants labeled benzodiazepines. On top of that, there's dilaudid in her system. We have two choices. Let her die, or put her under a medically-induced coma for a rapid detox."

"For how long would she be comatose?" Reid asked quickly. He didn't like the fact that there was dilaudid in her system, let alone the high number listed on the chart.

"With the levels she has, I'd play safe and say anywhere from two to four weeks. The detox itself takes about 78 hours, but this is an obscene level, so it may take longer," Dr. Drew replied. "However, we also need to continue to monitor her while in that medically-induced coma, explaining the rest of the time she will be under it. She will wake on her own as well, so depending on how strong the anesthetics are for her, it could be one or two weeks or even a month."

Reid nodded. He didn't like the dilaudid in her system. "Do it. She means too much to too many people."

Dr. Drew nodded. "For the initial 78 hours, we ask that no one is near her. We will call you when it is okay for someone to visit her."

Reid nodded. "I will let her husband know. Thank you, Dr. Drew. And convey my thanks to Dr. Shaughnessy as well."

"You can do that yourself. You have a few forms to sign and he usually draws them up," Dr. Drew said somewhat harshly, but her tone softened and she smiled. "But you're welcome."

Reid smiled back, and the female doctor turned around and ran back into the OR.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Drew and an older male doctor exited the OR and walked over to him.

Reid walked over to them as soon as he saw them.

"Dr. Reid, this is Dr. John Shaughnessy," Dr. Drew said, acknowledging the doctor next to her.

Dr. Shaughnessy smiled, removed his bloodstained gloves, and held out his hand. "Dr. Reid."

Reid nodded, accepting his hand. "Dr. Shaughnessy."

Dr. Shaughnessy sighed. "Dr. Reid, I understand you are allowing us to put hr under the medically-induced coma."

Reid nodded.

"There are a few forms you need to sign, I'll need some ID, and then we'll go ahead. Dr. Shaughnessy said. "If you follow me, I'll get those to you right away."

Reid nodded again and followed Dr. Shaughnessy to his office, where Reid waited as the doctor left and changed from his dirty scrubs and into tan pants, a blue button-down shirt, and a white doctor's coat. When Dr. Shaughnessy returned, he slipped on a pair of glasses and turned to his computer screen. He typed a few things into the computer then printed out several pages of paperwork. These pages he handed to Reid.

"The first five pages are for you, explaining the process and other information. The last two require you to fill in a few blanks, sign a few lines, I'll sign once I see some ID, and then we can begin the process and you can leave."

Reid nodded, quickly reading about the process and then filling in the needed information on Aryanna before signing the final page. He handed the last two pages to Dr. Shaughnessy. He took out his badge and showed it to the doctor, who nodded and signed the paper.

He smiled. "I hope to be seeing you real soon in regards to Aryanna."

Reid forced a smile. "Thanks, sir."

"Oh, and before you leave, I'm going to need your number so I can call you when it's safe to see her again," Dr. Shaughnessy called as Reid was making his way out of the room.

"Certainly," Reid said, eyes on the unconscious Aryanna as she was transported from the OR on the gurney, assisted by several nurses and Dr. Drew. He absent-mindedly gave the doctor his number and walked over to Aryanna.

"Hang in there, Ari," Reid whispered as she was sent farther down the hall. With that, he started to leave the hospital.

* * *

Reid was about to knock on the door when it unlocked and opened. James stood behind it, his eyes somewhat bloodshot, his white shirt untucked. He looked haggard, more like a grieving widower than a worried husband.

"Spencer," James said, his voice, although soft and fragile, cracking. "Come in."

Reid walked in as James stepped aside, noticing him lock the door and deadbolt behind him. He looked into the living room. The TV was playing Looney Toons reruns softly, and Savannah's head was in Garcia's lap, the two fast asleep on the couch opposite the TV. The image was bittersweet, as the child seemed more comfortable with a woman she had only just met the night before than anyone else.

James walked over to the coffee table slowly, taking three coffee mugs and bringing them into the kitchen, returning for several small plates with the remnants of food. Reid realized, as his stomach growled, he hadn't eaten in over fourteen hours.

James heard this, and said, "Have a seat. I'll make more coffee and find something to eat, and then we'll talk."

Reid nodded, yawning. "Thanks, James."

James nodded, smiling halfheartedly as he turned back into the kitchen.

Reid sighed and sat on the loveseat adjacent to Savannah and Garcia. He was exhausted, and the loveseat sank beneath him. By the time James returned with coffee and coffee cake, he was already fast asleep.

* * *

James had to smile at Spencer's sleeping form. For a man several years older than he, he slept soundly, like a child. He even looked like one, all curled up and somewhat innocent-looking. It was obvious Spencer was exhausted - Christ, _James_ was exhausted! - and it was probably about time he slept. But two things bugged James. For one thing, he didn't understand how anyone could sleep when Aryanna was too far away and in possible life-threatening danger. Granted, she was in a hospital no doubt under very close monitoring, but he was still very worried about her. For the second, James felt lonely with no one up to talk to him, as he refused to sleep until he knew he could see Aryanna again. Who knew when that would be? And who knew when Savannah, Garcia, and Spencer would wake up?

James sighed as he set Spencer's coffee down on the table for his brother-in-law upon awakening, along with his coffee cake. He picked up the remote and turned off the TV, sipping his own coffee before going to the small hall cabinet and pulling out two blankets. One he draped over Savannah and tentatively kissed the top of her head; the other he draped over Spencer before going upstairs to his wife's office.

It felt alien walking into the blue room filled with his wife's memory. Her desk alone was a sanctuary filled with pictures of her and James on vacations to Cape Cod and Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and Hawaii. There were pictures of their wedding in Connecticut and honeymoon in Europe. There were pictures from their first anniversary and their engagement party. There were lots of pictures. However, the other half of the desk had pictures of Aryanna, Sean, and Erika. There weren't many, but there were still pictures of them. A much younger and extremely beautiful Aryanna kissing a very handsome Sean on their wedding day. Their honeymoon in Bermuda and Myrtle Beach. Their adoption of Erika. One for their first anniversary. These pictures of Aryanna and Sean and those with Erika made James want to cry, but he decided he wouldn't. Sean and Aryanna had indeed been in love, and their love was beautiful and pure. "All pure things must be tainted at some point," Aryanna had told James once while they were dating.

Their dating had been some of the best times of James' life. He loved seeing her cautiously love him, mostly because he loved being able to help her through her grieving. He had to act like he didn't understand what she and Sean had and how much his loss had affected her, but in reality, he did know. He knew what it was to love someone then to lose them, to have a child with that person and to lose the child, too. He knew what she was going through, yet he had survived and pushed on. He knew she was capable of doing the same thing because he knew she was strong.

The thought of Isabel forced James to sit at Aryanna's desk and hang his head in his hands. Isabel had meant the world to him at the time. Isabel and Beatrice. Their faces flashed in his eyes. He had tried not to think about the two much, but now he found himself assaulted with their memory. The memories were beautiful, sure, but it was ugly that they came to an abrupt end. James found himself recalling the summer day with melancholy fondness.

* * *

_It was a beautiful July morning. The summer humidity hadn't arrived just yet when James met Isabel for the millionth time in their favorite Appalachian camping spot. Her blonde hair flew wildly in the wind, as did her loose cream blouse and the orange jacket tied at her waist. Her short denim shorts and tall brown hiking boots finished her outfit, along with the hiking backpack and her camping gear. Her pale skin was beginning to tan in the summer sun, and James smiled as he saw her beauty. Her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled and laughed, and he laughed with her. Their love was effortless._

_James carefully removed his hiking gear and began to remove Isabel's as well. The two pitched up the tent together, then they hiked out to their favorite spot: a small break in the forestry not but five miles north of their camping spot that overlooked the Rockies. There they kissed. Over and over again. James was already partially unbuttoning Isabel's blouse from the bottom and slipped his hands under her shirt, caressing the soft skin of her hips and back. Eventually they stopped and returned to their campsite, making a quick meal of chicken soup over the fire James made. Soon the two were laying in the tent together, James staring into Isabel's sky blue eyes, Isabel staring into his green ones._

_"I can't wait any longer," Isabel whispered, rolling over to face him as he kicked off her boots._

_"What do you mean, you can't wait?" James asked, sensing something...primal taking over._

_"I want you, James. Don't you want me?" Isabel asked, her finger trailing up hist chest, having unbuttoned the plaid flannel shirt he always wore when hiking._

_A playful smile tugged at James' lips. "Yes, but...here? Now?"_

_Isabel smiled. "Where better? My parents will never know, we're in our favorite place doing our favorite thing - and I'm not talking about sex because you've never done it, let alone done it with me..." She gently leaned on top of him and kissed his lips. "So...why not seize the opportunity while it's still open and knocking?"_

_James responded by kissing her back and rolling over so it was he who was on top of her. He began unbuttoning her blouse as she removed his shirt, the two removing each other's bottoms. The feeling was one James had never felt before. It felt so...primal compared to his normal feelings. He knew he was following his primal instinct to reproduce, but he never expected it to feel this...good. The euphoria was unbelievable. He found himself carefully caressing Isabel and kissing more passionately than usual, loving every minute the two spent in each other's sexual embrace..._

_When the two finally released each other, they smiled and quickly redressed and wrapped themselves in sheets to keep away any bugs that had gotten inside the tent miraculously. Then, they fell asleep together, leaving each other once back in town the next morning, each telling the other they would see each other soon._

_However, it would be a good several months before either was to see each other again._

* * *

"Mr. Meyes?"

James looked up to see Savannah standing in the doorway. She still had sleep in her eyes and on her face, making her look...innocent. More innocent than before. He carefully wiped his eyes with his hands and forced a smile.

"Hey, Savannah. Finally woke up?" James asked, trying to suppress his sadness.

"It's only 7:50," she said, pointing to the Victorian grandmother's clock on Aryanna's wall. "And I only fell asleep around midnight.

James closed his eyes. "You're right. It's not that late after all."

Savannah smiled slightly, then walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Have you heard about Mrs. Meyes?"

James sighed. Where to start? "All I know is she's alive and in the hospital. She was shot several times, so she went into emergency surgery to remove the bullets, but Spencer had to make the decision to allow for her to be placed under a medically-induced coma so the doctors could do a rapid detox. We can't see her until they call Spencer saying the detox is over."

Savannah narrowed her eyes. "Rapid detox? For what?"

James sighed. "Drugs. She was drugged shortly before Spencer arrived."

"With WHAT?" Savannah nearly cried, pulling away from him.

James sighed again. "Benzodiazepines and dilaudid."

Savannah's eyes flew wide. "A pretty deadly combo."

"Dilaudid itself can be deadly, and the numbers, I was informed, were pretty high. She was going into shock from the overdose," James said, nodding.

Savannah sighed. "Great."

James sighed, closing his eyes. He took a very shaky deep breath, then another, then another, biting his lip to keep from crying in front of Savannah. He'd done enough of that already.

Savannah seemed to sense his sadness, as she hugged him again, sitting in his lap. "What is going to happen to us?" she asked, her voice soft yet wet by unshed tears.

"I don't know, Savannah," James said, his own voice equally soft and wet. "I don't know."


	14. Fourteen-Aryanna

The world around her flashed white again, and when it cleared, Aryanna found herself lost in memories both pleasureful and painful...

* * *

_It was a beautiful September afternoon, and Aryanna sat at a small table in the coffee shop near her college. Aryanna smiled as people of all walks of life passed the quiet shop. A woman in a green sundress and two young girls in pink tutus - no doubt her daughters - walked past laughing, carrying pink shopping bags. A man in a grey suit carrying a briefcase walked in the opposite direction but stopped to tip his grey fedora in the mother and daughters' direction, causing the mother to blush. The man smiled, handed her a business card, winked, and walked away. A man dressed in grimy, ripped jeans and a formerly-white sweat-stained T-shirt walked by slowly and casually, holding a paint can and a paintbrush. Two girls walked by, hand in hand, smiling at each other and giggling. A boy and girl about the same age as the two girls walked by as well, and they waved to the girls, who waved back. The heterosexual couple turned to each other and laughed as the girls walked away. One stopped and turned to look at the other couple, then started to cry. Her girlfriend turned around and started to comfort her, then led her inside the coffee shop._

_Aryanna sighed, sipping her chai tea latte and jotting down a few ideas. People-watching was her homework for her Creative Writing class, and she was supposed to choose three to five people she'd seen and write about where they could be in fifteen years, where they were fifteen years ago, or simply their entire backstory, future, or life. So far, she had been in the coffee shop for two hours, but none of the people she'd seen and noted really inspired her. She figured she would choose three people and write their entire life stories, but with the assignment due in three days, she didn't know if she could find three people in time._

_Suddenly a male voice above her asked, "Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"_

_Aryanna looked up. There was a man. Obviously. He had to have been in his early twenties, with electric blue eyes, black hair, and pale skin, wearing dark wash jeans, a grey T-shirt, and a casual black leather suit jacket. He carried a black laptop bag slung across his shoulder. But what kept Aryanna staring was his charming, handsome smile._

_Aryanna began to blush and stutter. "Uh, no, take it. I usually sit alone anyways. Why not keep me that way?"_

_The man laughed and sat in the chair. "Why keep you alone? I mean, a model like you should never be alone. Someone might try to steal you away and lock you up for their dark purposes!"_

_Aryanna laughed as he leaned back in the chair. "Oh come on. I'm not a model."_

_His eyes widened. "You aren't?"_

_Aryanna shook her head._

_He gasped. "You should be! You have the perfect body for it!"_

_Aryanna blushed. "Thanks, but no. I'm not a model. I am simply a college student."_

_He cocked his head. "Is that so? Well, so am I! Are you-"_

_Aryanna smiled. "I'm currently attending Yale."_

_The man's smile turned into a puzzled frown. "Odd. So am I."_

_Aryanna's eves widened. "Really?"_

_Suddenly the man's face exploded with a smile. "I knew I recognized you! I do believe I'm in your Lit class!"_

_Aryanna laughed. "I believe so too!"_

_The man laughed as well, his brilliant, perfect, white teeth showing. "How did I not see this sooner?"_

_Aryanna shrugged, unable to stop smiling. "I don't know, but at least we figured that out!"_

_The man nodded. "Indeed and agreed!"_

_The two paused for a moment to sip their beverages, Aryanna her chai tea latte and he his coffee (she could smell that it was coffee). After a little bit, he said, "Okay, this is a little late, but I am Sean."_

_Aryanna cocked her head. Sean. She liked the name. "Sean what?"_

_Sean chuckled. "No, I am not trying to cover another last name, but it's Sean Smith."_

_Aryanna laughed. "I wasn't about to doubt the credibility of your last name. I hope you won't doubt mine."_

_"I'm already suspicious," Sean said in a deeper voice, making Aryanna laugh._

_"Okay, well, the name's Aryanna. Aryanna Reid."_

_Sean cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "I have a - wait, Reid?"_

_Aryanna nodded._

_Sean closed his eyes. "I know this is a longshot, but is there any chance you are related to Dr. Spencer Reid? He's an FBI agent..."_

_Aryanna nodded slowly. "He's my half brother."_

_"From what parent?"_

_"Father. I...technically, I'm an accident. A slip-up in his marriage to Spencer's mom. But Spencer doesn't mind. He treats me as if we were fully brother and sister," Aryanna said, looking away slightly._

_Sean smiled. "You're not an accident. I don't think so, at least, and it's obvious neither does your brother."_

_Aryanna blushed. "I haven't seen my father in years. He's never really been there for me. I think I've seen him twice. He left Spencer's mom when she needed him most, though, which upsets me. I guess I'm not that happy with my father, but I can't really do anything about it anymore. He is who he is."_

_Sean's smile warmed. "Be happy you at least still have yours. My parents died a long time ago. I've been in foster care since I was...gosh, eight years old."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry," Aryanna said, frowning. She closed her notebook. "Maybe this isn't such a good topic."_

_Sean chuckled. "It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago. Anyways, what year are you in college?" He pursed his lips. "That didn't come out right..."_

_Aryanna laughed. "I know, but I know what you meant. I'm simply a freshman."_

_Sean nodded slowly. "I'm kind of a senior."_

_Aryanna blushed again, making Sean laugh._

_"This is going to sound really random and probably really gross now, but you look cute when you turn all pink like that," Sean commented, leaning on the table some._

_Aryanna looked up at him, blushing a little more. "Really?"_

_"Yeah, really." He smiled and winked. "What do you say to a walk back to the campus? When you're done with your...whatever you're drinking there, of course."_

_Aryanna laughed. "It's called a chai tea latte, and I'm almost done."_

_Sean smiled. "Take your time, don't rush. I'm not in any hurry to get back to the dorms."_

_"Good, because neither am I!" Aryanna laughed again, and this time, Sean joined her._

* * *

_The two continued to talk about hobbies and likes and dislikes, and once Aryanna had finished her chai tea latte and Sean his coffee, the two stood and left, walking alongside each other as they talked. They took a longer route back to the campus, stopping at a park to observe the nature around them. Sean pointed out quite a few insects and various types of flowers and trees and bushes, as well as naming breeds of dogs they saw with their owners. He explained how he'd been going to school for biology and life sciences, and he had a strong love of animals and other living creatures. It was one of the things the ASPCA loved about him when he first applied for an internship two years before up in New York, and when he gave them plenty of fresh ideas the ASPCA decided to finish funding his schooling as long as he came and worked for them once he was done. Sean had agreed, and therefore he was going to Yale free of charge. Aryanna explained her love of writing, and Sean had asked to be able to read some of her work. She'd explained ideas she had for stories and characters, including the ideas that soon took shape under the title of _The Reddened Soul_, and Sean had loved each and every one of them, especially _The Reddened Soul_._

_Aryanna learned quite a bit about Sean in that single Sunday afternoon. Sean was a vegan, and devoted to the prevention of animal abuse and cruelty. He rarely swore, and when he did, it was either emphasis or in anger. He supported the LGBT community as well as all who are discriminated against or abused. He enjoyed ballroom dancing, played guitar, fished with his finally-adoptive foster father up in Michigan, his home state was Maine, and he was more of a Democrat than a Republican, but he still claimed he was independent._

_The two were fast friends, and, as the weeks went by, soon falling madly in love with each other. They started dating and when Sean graduated, he rented an apartment nearby for when he wasn't in New York so the two could stay together. Aryanna made sure to take summer courses to make her college years go by faster, and when she graduated after two years of nonstop schoolwork, Sean surprised her with a proposal. Six months later, Aryanna was walking down the aisle in a beautiful white gown with blue roses in her hand, her grandmother's silver, diamond, and sapphire hairpins in her hair. The two were married, had their honeymoon, and bought a house in Connecticut close to New York to make commuting easier for Sean._

_They fostered and eventually adopted young Erika Palmer, or so they were told at first._

_Then, three months after Erika's adoption, on Sean and Aryanna's second wedding anniversary...it happened._

* * *

_It was mid-October, the 17th to be precise. Aryanna and Sean had their arms wrapped around each other's waists, Erika happily walking in front of them as they walked up the cobblestone path to the front door from the driveway. Sean turned to Aryanna, stopping in his tracks, and kissed her, putting his hands on her lower back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The two kissed passionately in the moonlight, and soon Erika was clearing her throat._

_"Um, it's getting kind of chilly out here, and the mosquitos are coming out," Erika complained._

_Sean chuckled under Aryanna's lips, and she giggled, pulling away ever so slightly. Sean kissed her once again before turning his attention to Erika. "Alright, alright, I'm coming to open the door now!"_

_Erika giggled as Sean picked her up first and spun her around playfully before setting her back down and unlocking the door. Aryanna quickly caught up to them and stepped inside after her husband and daughter. As soon as she closed the door and turned on the living room light Erika screamed. Aryanna turned quickly and followed Erika's finger to where she was pointing. There were two teenage boys standing next to the small porcelain rose under the glass dome on top of the old sewing machine...or at least what should have been the porcelain rose under the glass dome on top of the old sewing machine. There was broken glass and porcelain at their feet, and one held a hammer in his right hand; the other man held a knife._

_Instantly several other teenage boys came out of the kitchen and from the dining room. One grabbed Erika and held her tightly in his arms, slapping duct tape onto her mouth quickly. Another decked Sean, sending him to the floor. Another two grabbed Aryanna from behind, one pinning her arms behind her back, the other clamping a hand over her mouth and holding her still as the other boy tied her wrists together with rope. Erika's wrists were quickly similarly bound, as were Sean's. Sean and Aryanna were tossed over in the corner next to the entertainment center, the two boys that had grabbed Aryanna standing over them and making sure they didn't try to escape._

_The one that had decked Sean picked up the TV remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV. He signaled for the one holding the hammer to leave the room, so he did, returning with a dustpan, sweeping up the broken glass and porcelain. Then, the one that had decked Sean grabbed Erika by the hair and pulled her over to him._

_"First we have to teach you a lesson, bitch," he said. "Father's orders. And we aren't going to mess up this job."_

_"Yeah, finally trusting us with a big job," said the one with the knife._

_The one who had decked Sean started to beat Erika after laughing, but her screams were muffled by the duct tape. After an hour of relentless beating, he slammed her into the glass coffee table, glass shattering everywhere. Nothing could have muffled that scream, but the one with the hammer grabbed the remote again and turned the TV volume up, changing the channel to a horror show. The boy with the knife stood over her quickly, dragging her out of the shattered glass by her foot. He knelt next to her, raised his fist, and slammed it down into her chest. Repeatedly. With the final stab, he twisted the blade three-quarters then removed it from her chest. Her eyelids fluttered, then remained open for several seconds before closing one last time. They never opened again._

_Aryanna had been screaming and crying throughout the murder, and Sean had managed to bring his hands in front of him and had Aryanna in his arms. She buried her head in his chest, and he carefully hugged her tightly against him as the boy with the knife, the one who had decked Sean, and the one with the hammer turned to the two of them._

_"Why did you do that? She's just a child!" Sean shouted angrily._

_"Because it was what we were told to do! You wouldn't understand! Besides," said the one who had decked Sean, "she was quite the blabbermouth."_

_Aryanna's eyes widened as Sean pressed her head against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, and knew that although Sean looked composed, he was terrified, his heart racing wildly. He tried to control his breathing, attempting to slow his heart rate so he could talk more clearly, but it obviously wasn't working too well._

_"She's a child, a hurt child. Can't you see she did nothing to you?" Sean argued somewhat calmly, using his negotiation voice._

_The one with the knife looked to the one who had decked Sean for orders, making it clear who was the leader. But the leader didn't make a sound, instead parting the two boys that stood in front of Sean and Aryanna and taking Sean's arms, having one of the other boys drag Aryanna away from him slightly as Sean was pulled to his feet and forced somewhat farther away. Instantly he was decked again, and again, and again. He was kicked in the shins, then the stomach, then in the genitals. The strangled cries Sean let out were too much for Aryanna, as she screamed for the leader to stop hurting him, that she'd take it all._

_Sean managed to shout, "No, don't hurt her! Please no! She doesn't need to know-" His sentence was cut off as the leader planted his foot on his ribs and pressed down firmly. The crack of his ribs was like nails on a chalkboard for Aryanna - she couldn't take it. She screamed._

_"Please, just stop! Please!" she cried, tears streaming down her blood-splattered cheeks._

_Sean struggled to turn his head to face her, but the leader was handed the knife, and the bloodstained metal blade was jabbed non-fatally into Sean's abdomen and chest three times. He was dragged back over to Aryanna, who quickly curled up next to him as he carefully tried to wrap his arms around her again despite his wrists still being bound._

_The leader smirked at this display of affection. "Well well well. Maybe we just have to do something about this, huh boys?"_

_The other boys around him nodded, staring at Aryanna hungrily._

_"Don't you dare touch her," Sean growled weakly before wincing in pain. Aryanna whimpered softly._

_The leader simply ignored Sean's wishes, dragging Aryanna away from him and slitting her bonds before pushing her to the floor. Instantly he'd slit her dress up the middle and snapped her bra and panties, removing his pants and boxers. The other boys minus two were instantly holding her down as the leader shoved himself inside her despite her thrashing. After thirty seconds the leader had enough of Aryanna's struggles, and instantly the knife was pressed under her throat. She stopped moving instantly and cried as the leader raped her, his lips and tongue foreign aliens and unwanted as they traveled over her body and inside her mouth. Once he'd had his pleasures, he took the knife from under her throat and carefully stabbed her gall bladder, appendix, and spleen before handing the knife back to the boy who had originally been holding it. He rebound her wrists, this time in front of her, and reached for something above them. It was the container of bleach from under the kitchen sink. Aryanna found herself screaming as he poured it on her before letting the other boys have their fun with her._

_Her wounds burned, her crotch was in excutiating pain, and she was too afraid to be tired anymore. Finally, the boys started cleaning up the house, making it look almost as if they were never there. When they left, they turned off the TV, taking the remote and several magazines as trophies._

_Aryanna struggled to get up, but she managed to drag herself over to Sean, who was beginning to cough. He didn't have much time. "Sean!"_

_Sean coughed onto his arm as she carefully untied his wrists with her own bound hands, him returning the favor for her. He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone, which was somewhat covered in his blood. "Call...911. Please. For you, Aryanna." He coughed again, blood beginning to stain his mouth._

_Aryanna nodded, taking his hand as she dialed the number she thought she'd never have to use. As she frantically explained their situation, Sean's eyelids fluttered as he struggled to keep alive. Finally Aryanna dropped the phone and kissed him, feeling his lips weakly kiss her back._

_"You must be in pain, Aryanna," Sean whispered, pointing to her wounds, which could not be concealed. "The bleach...I'm so sorry." He coughed again._

_Aryanna grabbed his hand and took his face in her other hand. "Stay with me, please. Please don't leave me. You can't leave me. Please don't leave me. I need you."_

_Sean smiled weakly, closing his eyes slowly before opening them slits. He shook his head ever so slightly, but Aryanna could still feel it. "It's too late, Aryanna."_

_Aryanna nearly screamed. How could he give up on her? "No it's not, just stay with me, please baby PLEASE! Sean don't leave me please don't leave me, I need you so badly Sean please don't go please please please!"_

_Sean smiled again. "I won't leave you. I love you, Aryanna. I will be with you forever."_

_Aryanna's eyes were becoming veiled by tears. Sean's bloody hand reached up weakly and rested itself on her cheek, his thumb wiping her tears away. Aryanna switched hands, taking his right hand (the one on her cheek) and pressing it to her face and pressing her right to his own cheek. He copied her motions, resting his hand over hers on his cheek. Aryanna smiled sadly through her tears. "I love you, Sean. I will never stop loving you."_

_"So then don't. I will never stop loving you eith-" Sean's jaw fell slack, his eyes closing. His left hand fell off of her right on his cheek, taking hers with it. Sean's left hand fell limp in Aryanna's protective hold on it on her cheek, his thumb no longer wiping the tears that fell from her eyes. Her life was dead. Erika had died hours earlier. Her last words to the two of them had been something about it being cold and there being mosquitos, and that had been to get them to stop kissing and get inside. Sean's last words to her had been cut off by his death. Aryanna could only hope her last words would be coming soon._

_But they didn't._

_The police arrived to find Aryanna's face buried in Sean's chest, his right hand still pressed to her cheek with her left. She was crying and slowly losing consciousness, dying from bloodloss. The paramedics had to force her off of and away from Sean, carrying her onto a stretcher and slipping an oxygen mask onto her face. She closed her eyes and simply let herself cry. The world had ended for her. And it hadn't taken her with it. She slowly faded into unconsciousness as she was lifted into the ambulance, but not before she saw two white sheet-covered stretchers being carried out of the house, one very small and the other the normal size. Aryanna closed her eyes and faded away._

* * *

_Her fadeout didn't last long enough in her opinion, even though she'd been out for nearly fourteen hours. She squinted in the flourescent lighting of the white hospital room she was in, her breathing labored. It took her several moments to remember everything, but when the sad realizations hit her, it was like being hit by a semi. The wind was knocked out of her, and she was suddenly gasping for breath between sobs. She raised her right hand painfully to her mouth, the IV in the back of her hand (she could already tell they'd failed to get the IV into her arm, which she was used to - throughout her having ovarian cancer at the age of thirteen nurses had always had trouble drawing blood or getting an IV in her arm, always hitting valves or her veins themselves moved away from the needle) shifting slightly with her movement._

_Almost instantly she had a warm hand wrapped around her left hand and a soft, soothing yet slightly panicked male voice trying to comfort her. She looked up to her left in hopes to see Sean and in fear of seeing one of the boys, but instead her teary eyes locked onto the bloodshot brown ones of her half brother. His forehead was creased in worry, his lips rolled into his mouth as he bit back tears. His chin-cropped brown hair was tousled no doubt from running his hands through it repeatedly in worry. He was dressed surprisingly casually, in a grey thermal long-sleeve shirt under a black T-shirt with "Nirvana" written on it in grey. Aryanna had bought him the shirt while forgetting he didn't really like the band, but Spencer would wear it occasionally anyways. He also wore dark wash blue jeans that seemed tailored to his physique, and no doubt also wore either black sneakers or his regular work shoes. For once, seeing Dr. Spencer Reid didn't bring a smile to her face. Instead, it brought simply an onslaught of tears as Aryanna was reminded of the fact that the only other man she loved was no longer alive._

_"Ari, it's okay, it's okay, relax, Aryanna," Spencer said softly, trying to help Aryanna._

_She shook her head painfully. "No, no it isn't," she whispered softly, painfully. Her throat was dry and her stomach was killing her from the stabbing. "Sean's...Sean's gone."_

_Spencer bit his lip again, tears forming in his eyes. "I know, Ari, but you're alive. That's all that matters now."_

_Aryanna couldn't bear it. The man she had promised to be with until death do them part was gone, and they'd only made their vows two years prior. Two years and a day prior, to be exact. That's what made it worse: Sean had been murdered on their anniversary. Sean and Erika had both been murdered. Her love and anchor to reality. Her angels. Her life._

_Aryanna shook her head despite the pain it caused her. "No, I'm as good as dead without them."_

_Spencer closed his eyes and hung his head, turning to pull the chair closer. He sat down next to her and kept holding her left hand. "Aryanna, listen to me: You are going to make it. After some time, you'll be able to move on and it'll be like this never happened."_

_"What do you know?" Aryanna whispered angrily. "You don't know what will happen."_

_"No, I don't; you're right. But what I do know is that you're a strong girl and you're still young. You have a lot of life left to live, and if I have anything to say about it, you are going to live it right. Aryanna, I cannot let my sister die pointlessly. You are going to live, and I'm going to be here for you."_

_Aryanna closed her eyes. "I feel like I've already let you down."_

_"You are going to make it, Aryanna. They only took out your gallbladder, appendix, and spleen, which aren't necessary to survive so the doctors removed them entirely since there really was no point in keeping them there when you'd only be in more pain if you kept them."_

_"But Sean and Erika..."_

_"Aryanna..." Spencer sighed. "Ari, I need you to focus on yourself for once. Please. For me. Focus on getting better. You still have me, and I will be here for you...forever."_

_Tears sprung from Aryanna's eyes as she remembered some of Sean's final words: _I will be with you forever.

_Spencer sighed again, resting his head on the hospital bed's guardrail. "Just don't give up on me, Aryanna, and I'll think of ways that I can repay you."_

_"I know of one."_

_Spencer looked up at her. "You do?"_

_Aryanna nodded. "Sober up."_

_Spencer's eyes widened. "How the hell-"_

_"For me. Please," Aryanna enforced. "How I know doesn't matter. But I can see it's hurting you."_

_Spencer looked down. "I'll try, but it won't be easy."_

_"Neither will what you want me to do. But if you get off of dilaudid, I'll at least try to move on," Aryanna said hoarsely._

_Spencer sighed. "You'd better mean that."_

_"With every fragment of my shattered heart," Aryanna whispered as the doctor (she would learn she was Dr. Matia Sato, a Japanese-American genius in the area, and the two would become great friends) walked into the room with a warm smile spreading across her face..._


	15. Fifteen-Savannah-James

**Author's Note:**

**SO sorry about the lateness in an update on ****_Red Rain_****! As you should already know, I'm bouncing between this story as well as Book Four of the original story series (my ****_An Unyielding, Horrifying Love_**** series, or AUHL), ****_Savior From The Grave_**** (****_Red Rain_****'s sort of a side story). On top of that, I have my Wattpad account, and lately I've updated my story ****_The Lost Sister_**** on that. Fortunately for all of my fans and readers, IT'S SUMMER VACATION HERE, meaning MORE UPDATES! XD**

**Please feel free to PM me with ideas or any thoughts on any of my stories.**

**Thanks!**

**Now...to the actual chapter!**

* * *

The next few days passed in a sort of haze.

There was FBI questioning and media questioning. Five cases were being closed, four previously unsolved for, at the minimum of five, years. Savannah was somewhat pleased to know that the cases of the Johnston family (Sean's last name of birth) and Yolansky family murders and child abductions were finally solved, as well as the case of Savannah's mother's murder and the case of Sean and Erika's murders and Mrs. Meyes' rape, were all being closed with Mrs. Meyes' abduction and torture. Savannah's age permitted her to opt out of testifying in court, but she decided she'd testify in court anyways along with recording a statement. All in all, Savannah felt pretty good about what was going on around her.

It was Mr. Meyes who was struggling.

Savannah understood why, of course. He loved Mrs. Meyes. That much made sense. He didn't want to be away from her, nor did he want her to be hurt. What Savannah didn't understand was his seeming too..._connected_ to the case. It was almost like he understood something at a deeper level than anyone else around him did. Savannah figured it was because Mr. Meyes was a grown-up and he was married to Mrs. Meyes, but still. How come he seemed to know so much more than everyone?

Three nights after Mrs. Meyes was originally rescued and sent by helicopter to the hospital, Savannah found herself walking upstairs and into her office again, feeling like if she stayed in there maybe they'd get the call saying it was okay to go to the hospital to see her, even though Mrs. Meyes would still be in the medically-induced coma. When she entered the dark room, however, she realized she wasn't alone.

He was standing by the south window (the one next to the bookshelves and the painting of summer), looking outside at the stars. He held a glass of wine in his left hand, seemingly untouched. In his right was what looked like a picture frame. His tan skin almost shone in the light of the full moon, the light glinting off the wine glass in his hand. However, there were tears in his eyes, and some silently dripped down his cheeks when he blinked.

Savannah quietly tiptoed back out of the office, leaving him alone. She figured that was the most polite thing to do. Instead, she headed on into her room, crawling onto the bed and forcing herself to fall asleep despite the noise coming from downstairs.

* * *

James forced himself to swallow as much as he forced himself to think of the things that saddened him. He forced himself to think of someone other than Aryanna, someone he'd forbidden himself from thinking of for years. He forced himself into a flashback of when he was introduced to the first of several truths.

* * *

_It had been nine months since James had seen Isabel. It didn't matter how many times he'd called her nor emailed her nor sent her letters and presents. Not once had he heard from Isabel, and he was getting worried. No longer did he care that he wasn't liked by her parents; he needed to see her._

_That was the mindset he had when he drove his old Chevy to Isabel's house that afternoon with a large bouquet of wildflowers in the passenger seat. That was the mindset he had when he had when he got out of the truck with that wildflower bouquet and started walking up the stairs. That was the mindset he had when he knocked on the door, that bouquet still in his hands. That was the mindset he had when he asked Isabel's mother, Patricia Kline, if he could see her._

_Naturally, Patricia nearly slammed the door in his face after spitting at him and shouting, "Fuck off you asshole!"_

_But James' hiking boot was caught in the door, preventing it from slamming closed. "Mrs. Kline, I need to see her."_

_"No you don't! You are not getting anywhere near _any_ of my children, ya hear me swine?!"_

_"What in the world did I do to your family that makes me so terrible?" James asked, his voice pleading. "Honestly, I've treated your entire family with respect ever since I moved here."_

_"Your father's the first reason, and now your actions are the second!" Patricia exclaimed._

_"What have _I_ done?!" James asked._

_"YOU IMPREGNATED MY DAUGHTER! NOW FUCK OFF OUR PROPERTY BEFORE I _MAKE_ YOU FUCK OFF!"_

_James' eyes flew open wide. No one had told him that Isabel was pregnant. No one had told him he was going to be a father. He hadn't even thought that was the reason Isabel hadn't been out._

_Patricia's glare suddenly softened as James' face displayed his shock and hurt. "You...you didn't know she was pregnant?"_

_James shook his head slowly, forcing himself to swallow and breathe, his eyes falling to the floor. "No. No one saw fit to tell me. I haven't even heard from her since our last hike...nine months ago."_

_Patricia grunted, muttering, "So you _were_ the swine that did so. I knew it." She sighed, however, then said, "Well...I guess I should let you see them. Isabel _has_ been asking for you."_

_"Them? You mean..." James closed his eyes and exhaled shakily._

_Patricia nodded. "Born yesterday. She's got...your eyes, to say the least."_

_James couldn't help but smile. "She?"_

_Patricia rolled her eyes. "Yes, now come on. You can follow me, since I take it you brought that truck of yours."_

_James' smile instantly vanished. "Yes, I did. How else would I have gotten here?"_

_Patricia pursed her lips then laughed. "I don't know!"_

_James bowed his head and smiled, stretching his arms out in a way that said, "I told you!" before following Patricia inside at her beckoning._

_The Kline estate was not one he had fond memories of, but he still had to admit it was impressive. Then again, he'd only ever seen the grand entryway. The blue tiling of the floor, the elaborate mahogany double staircase with the small balcony at its top, the walls painted eggshell white and covered with expensive paintings in excessive gold and bronze frames and photos of the Kline family through the years, also in excessive gold and bronze frames, all of it captured James' attention, as he was from a poor family that barely was able to boast about the small, somewhat rundown house filled with nine people, five of them children under the age of twelve, two parents, and two teenagers, James included._

_Patricia led him to a closet, from which she grabbed a purse with a shoulder strap and a light jacket before leading him back outside. A chauffer had driven up a black Mercedes-Benz, and as he stepped out to open the back door for Patricia she waved him away._

_"Thank you, but I'll be driving myself today," she said._

_The chauffeur nodded and walked back inside the mansion after looking James up and down in disgust._

_James looked down at his faded and ripped jeans, old hiking boots, his black T-shirt, and his father's old aviator jacket from before he joined the military and sighed. It was obvious he was not from the wealthier side of town._

_Patricia looked at James expectantly. "You coming?"_

_James nodded and jogged over to the old Chevy, hoping inside and firing up the poor thing. He carefully followed Patricia's Mercedes to the hospital on the other side of town, parking a few spaces away from her and grabbing the wildflower bouquet before following her into the hospital._

_She approached the front desk, smiled to the woman sitting there, and led James to the gift shop once the woman at the desk waved them on._

_"Pick something. You might know my daughter better than I would," Patricia said, waving at the items in the store._

_James smiled, taking a look at everything in the shop before finally settling on a card with a few cartoon monkeys on it and a cream teddy bear with a box of chocolates in its arms. Patricia gladly paid for them all, even lending him a pen so he could fill out the card with a heartfelt message and his signature._

_Once that was done, he thanked her, then Patricia led him up to the maternity wing and over to the room in which Isabel was._

_However, she stopped a few feet in front of the door, pulling James aside._

_"James, do beware that if my husband finds you visiting her he will pitch a fit," she said. "Let me make sure he's not in there first. I'll call you in when I'm sure."_

_James nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Kline."_

_Patricia smiled, patting his arm. "I always wished I had a son. When I finally had one, I was overjoyed. Then he died an infant in my arms. I always wonder what he would have grown up to be like. Now, I wish he'd grown up to be like you." She turned to go into the room, then stopped, turned around again, then said, "But don't ever tell my husband that."_

_James chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."_

_Patricia smiled, winked, and walked inside. There was a bit of conversation, a few questions asked, then finally, Patricia said, "He isn't here? Good. You can come in now!"_

_James took a deep breath, exhaled, and walked into the room slowly, hesitating in the doorway once inside. The eyes of three women stared at him, but only one pair of eyes welled up in tears when they locked onto his._

_"James," Isabel whispered from her hospital bed, a small bundle of pink blankets in her arms._

_James smiled. "Isabel."_

_"What's he doing here?!" Isabel's older sister, Janice, whispered loudly to Patricia, obviously annoyed._

_"He has every right to see his child, Janice," Patricia said._

_"But Daddy-"_

_"Forget what Daddy's said about him! He's a good boy!" Patricia exclaimed._

_While the two women argued, James was slowly walking over to Isabel, hardly believing he was seeing her again. He gently handed her the teddy bear, which she took and reached up to kiss him. He leaned over to let her, kissing back himself. However, he pulled away and gave her the card and wildflowers, which she smiled at and inhaled deeply, sighing happily at their familiar._

_"Boy have I missed the smell of those flowers," she said. "It's amazing being able to see and smell them again after nine months." Isabel looked back up at him. "It's just as amazing seeing you again after thinking I never would."_

_James smiled. "It's good to see you, too."_

_Isabel placed the flowers and the card on the small hospital table next to her bed before looking at the pink bundle in her arms. "James," she said as she pulled the blankets away from the newborn's face. "This is our daughter."_

_James couldn't help it as he smiled and held out his hands. "May I?"_

_Isabel rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't have to ask me," she said as she handed their baby to him. "You're probably better at the parenting thing than I am, having to raise all those little siblings just about all your life."_

_James chuckled, taking the small bundle and holding her in his arms. He gently pulled down the blanket covering her face and smiled. Her closed eyes fluttered open, and James instantly knew Patricia was right: she definitely had his hazelish-green eyes, but also his tanner skin. She was too young for him to be sure, but after seeing his siblings grow up, he knew she would have her mother's nose and face shape and his black hair._

_"What did you name her?" James said softly, swaying his daughter slightly._

_Isabel smiled. "I was going to wait for you, but I thought I wouldn't be seeing you ever again, so I decided I'd name her Beatrice."_

_James forced himself to look Isabel in the eyes. "Beatrice?" he asked, his eyebrows raising._

_Isabel shrugged. "Yep. 'Blessed.' She truly is a blessing in disguise."_

_James smiled, closing his eyes as he shook his his head slightly, knowing full well Isabel didn't name her for the meaning. Beatrice was his mother's name. He forced himself to look at his daughter, and bounced her slightly in his arms. "Hello Beatrice."_

_Beatrice looked up at him and opened her tiny mouth ever so slightly before closing it and smiling._

_James nearly lost it, bursting into a smile then biting his lip to keep from crying._

_Isabel looked at him in confusion. "What?"_

_James closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, Beatrice's smile still present. "She's smiling at me."_

_Patricia looked over at Janice. "See what I mean? Beatrice likes him."_

_Janice rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Mom." She stood and left the room, not even bothering to say goodbye._

_As soon as she left, Isabel patted a spot on the bed next to her. "Have a seat, James."_

_James sat after looking at Patricia for the nod of approval._

_"What? You can't do anything near me without approval from my parents or something?" Isabel said, raising an eyebrow._

_James blushed slightly. "I just don't want to lose you again. Now that Beatrice is in the picture..."_

_Isabel rolled her eyes. "Believe me. You will not be losing me again, ESPECIALLY now that little Bea is in the picture."_

_Patricia stood quite suddenly. "Speaking of pictures!" She fished around in her purse before finally finding a camera. "My husband will never find this, so I will gladly photograph this beautiful moment." Patricia instantly was next to James and snapped a picture of him holding still-smiling Beatrice, then took another picture of him, Beatrice, and Isabel._

_"Once she developes those, I'll make sure I send you those," Isabel said. "Just so Dad never sees them."_

_"And if you don't, I will," Patricia said._

_James smiled at the two women. "Thank you, the both of you."_

_Patricia and Isabel rolled their eyes, and James threw his head back and laughed._

* * *

"James?"

James turned his head to face the shadowy silhouette of his brother-in-law in the doorway. "Yeah, Spencer?"

Spencer stepped into the room, turning on the light. His iPhone was pressed to his ear. "Dr. Drew and Dr. Shaughnessy are on the line. They want to speak to you."

James nodded, setting the wine glass on the windowsill and the picture frame face-down on a shelf in the bookcase before walking over to Spencer and taking the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Dr. Lisa Drew from Hazard ARH Regional Health Center, along with Dr. John Shaughnessy. Is this a...James Meyes?" a female voice said on the other end.

"This is he," James said.

"Hi Mr. Meyes. My partner and I have been working on your wife, Aryanna for the past four days now. She was admitted by helicopter Saturday morning around one and immediately rushed into surgery."

James nodded. "I have been informed of the whole...situation."

"Oh good!" Dr. Drew said. "I just wanted to personally let you know that the initial detox is over. Unfortunately, she will be kept in the coma for at least the next two weeks, so she will not be able to talk to you just yet, but I was informed by your brother-in-law, Dr. Spencer Reid, that you wanted to know when you see her again?"

James suddenly was breathing more heavily than usual. "Yes, yes I do."

Dr. Drew obviously smiled on the other end. "Well, Mr. Meyes, you can visit her starting tomorrow morning at ten AM. Visiting hours are from ten to eight."

James closed his eyes and sank into Aryanna's desk chair. "Thank you. I...I..." James forced himself to swallow and take a few deep breaths to calm himself.

Dr. Drew giggled slightly. "I understand. Now, I just have one question."

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any plans of even leaving the hospital, let alone your wife's side? I mean, Dr. Reid and I were talking about this, and he brought up how...well, distraught you were by the entire...thing."

James sighed, making sure to glare at Spencer while he said, "I mean, if visiting hours are only from ten AM to eight PM, I guess I would have to leave the hospital, wouldn't I?"

Dr. Drew sighed. "If there were no visiting hours, would you be leaving the hospital?"

James sighed again. "Probably not," he admitted.

Dr. Drew seemed to smile again. "I thought so. In that case, Mr. Meyes, Dr. Shaughnessy and I have decided to make an exception."

"Oh?" James asked hopefully.

"Mhmn. You will be given unlimited access to Aryanna. Visiting hours do not apply to you as soon as you step inside the hospital tomorrow morning."

James gasped. "They...what?"

Dr. Drew laughed. "Tomorrow morning, at ten AM, when visiting hours start, you will be permitted to see her as well as anyone else you and Dr. Reid choose. However, visiting hours from then on do not apply to _you only_ unless you leave the hospital after visiting hours are over or have not yet begun."

James started crying tears of joy suddenly, elated to hear the news. "Thank you, Dr. Drew. Thank you so much."

"Aw, Mr. Meyes, don't thank me. Thank Dr. Shaughnessy here next to me. I nearly had to make him a patient just so he would agree to it!" She laughed, as did James and another man on the same end as Dr. Drew, obviously Dr. Shaughnessy.

"Then thank you, Dr. Drew, for finally getting through to him, and thank you, Dr. Shaughnessy for finally agreeing!" James said happily. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Dr. Shaughnessy laughed again. "Oh believe me, Mr. Meyes, I know the feeling. And you are very welcome."

Dr. Drew laughed. "Yes, the instant I told him that Dr. Reid was telling me how you haven't slept since she went missing Dr. Shaughnessy agreed to let you have unlimited access to Aryanna with the given limitations."

James sighed happily. "Well, thank you so much."

"You're welcome. I'll be seeing you in the morning. In the meantime, Mr. Meyes," Dr. Drew said, "I would like you to get some sleep."

"I'll sooner die than sleep," James said. "And by the looks of things, I won't be dying any time soon."

"Well, please. Sleep for Aryanna's sake. I highly doubt she'd want you to pass out the instant she regained consciousness," Dr. Shaughnessy said.

James laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Alright, I'll try to sleep. It won't be easy, but I'll try."

"Don't take any rash measures now, Mr. Meyes."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Dr. Shaughnessy."

"Alright now. See you in the morning."

"Alright. Thank you. See you in the morning."

With that, the doctors on the other end hung up, leaving James holding Spencer's iPhone. He quickly handed it to his brother-in-law.

Spencer smiled. "I know. They told me first, I told everyone downstairs, then I had them tell you so you could hear it personally. I figured you'd like that better than me telling you."

James nodded. "Yeah, I did. Thanks."

Spencer nodded. "Anytime. You going to sleep for once?"

James laughed. "I'll try. I just want to tell Savannah first."

"Last I knew she was heading upstairs. She's probably in her room, sleeping."

"Well," James said, standing up and walking over to the window. "She told me to wake her if she was asleep when we got any news about Aryanna."

"Then you do that," Spencer said. "You're better with kids than me."

James shrugged, picking up the wine glass and picture frame. "Eh, it runs in the family, I suppose."

Spencer laughed. "No, more like it comes from the size of yours!"

James chuckled. "Like I said: runs in the family."

Spencer rolled his eyes as the two men left the office. "Whatever you say, James."

James waited for Spencer to go back downstairs before turning to his room first. He turned on the light and set down his still-untouched wine glass on his nightstand before looking at the photo in the picture frame. It was an old photo, and the people in it were very young at the time, but seeing Isabel's smiling face in the hospital bed along with him holding Beatrice warmed his heart slightly, even though it brought tears to his eyes again. He sighed, then put the picture back in the bottom drawer of his nightstand, where all the other memories of his past that he wished to keep secret were stored, before turning off the light and leaving the room. He then headed down the hall to Savannah's room.

The door was closed, so he knocked out of habit before opening the door and walking over to Savannah's bed. Savannah herself was sprawled out on her bed, face-down, several stuffed animals next to her or under her. One bear had been tossed on the floor by her head by accident, and James stooped over and picked it up before sitting next to her on the edge of the bed and rubbing her back gently.

Savannah slowly woke up. "Huh?"

"Savannah," James whispered, still rubbing her back.

"Whah?" Savannah moaned.

"I just got the call saying we can go see Aryanna at ten AM tomorrow," James whispered.

Savannah bolted into a seated position. "We can?"

James nodded. "Now get some sleep. I'll wake you in the morning." He bent to kiss her forehead, but Savannah instead started squealing and wrapped him in a hug.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! That means that I will STAY! Yay! Yay! Yay! I...cannot wait to play?" Savannah said, trying to rhyme the last part.

James chuckled, but a pang of sadness touched his heart. "Savannah...Aryanna still is in the medically-induced coma. She won't be out for another two to four weeks."

Savannah suddenly stopped bouncing on her bed, her smile quickly turning upside-down. "But...that means...Miss Peterson...no..." Savannah started to cry, wrapping her arms around James again, this time burrowing her head in his chest. James closed his eyes and rested his right hand on her back, rubbing her head with his left hand slowly and softly, letting her cry. He tried not to think of anything, concentrating on not crying himself. He succeeded in not crying, but failed to not think of anything, instead thinking of Aryanna and Isabel and Beatrice. Even Erika and Sean managed to cross his mind as he held Savannah close.

There was a knock at the slightly-ajar door, and JJ entered the room. "Is everything alright?"

James turned to look at JJ and simply blinked.

"Take that as a no..." JJ sat on the other side of the bed, rubbing Savannah's back.

James sighed. "I told her the good news, that we can see Aryanna tomorrow, but then I had to remind her she wasn't going to be conscious..."

JJ nodded, understanding. "Meaning Miss Peterson will be coming to pick her up on the 18th."

James nodded. "I feel terrible about it. I...I mean, I practically raised my five youngest siblings, but breaking bad news has never been a strong suit of mine."

JJ shook her head. "It isn't very easy for anyone. TRUST me on that one."

James nodded. "And I do."

Eventually Savannah pulled away from James and laid back down, falling asleep. James left her there then walked back to his bedroom, slipping off all he wore except his boxers, then took the glass of wine. He was about to raise it to his lips when he remembered August 16th, 2006, and he set the glass back down, turned out the light, and forced himself under the covers, rolling into Aryanna's normal spot before finally falling asleep.


	16. Sixteen-Reid

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, I've been seriously thinking in advance, like, to the hearings for the other "gods" in the cult. Um...that could be a problem, because now all I want to do is get to the hearings, but that won't be happening yet. I have a few things to do first...meaning quite a few chapters have to be written first. I'm actually getting upset about that. The part I wrote so I wouldn't forget IS REALLY GOOD but really, really sad. I'd say more but I'd be giving away just about EVERYTHING if I did. Like, for example, I came up with a few ideas that are either going to be only revealed in that section of the hearings or are going to be revealed beforehand in flashbacks. I'm not too sure just yet. I still have James flashbacks to do, though, and I still probably have Savannah ones, too. Maybe Aryanna, maybe not. We'll have to see. All depends on what I feel like writing. :-)**

**Now, what was my original note...oh, it was kind of important...grr...what was it...oh yes! That's right! ^~^**

**You have probably realized that odd-numbered chapters have contained Savannah's perspective and even-numbered chapters contain Aryanna's, correct? Granted, there was that one exception where it was simply listed as "Various" because I had an all-seeing narrator part, no Savannah, and no Aryanna. Chapter Thirteen, I do believe. Anyways, I have to say that this chapter will not contain any Aryanna because, well, SHE'S COMATOSE. It's hard to write in the perspective of someone who isn't fully functional, ya know? I could do flashbacks and more Sean, but I don't really think that would add to the story. Maybe in the next chapter I'll make it a Savannah-James-Aryanna perspective chapter, in which the very end has more Aryanna and Sean. :3**

**For those of you who have asked yourself, "But what about the TEAM? If this is a Criminal Minds FanFiction, where is the TEAM?" well, two things. The first thing is you've probably noticed I'm not your average FanFiction writer. I tend to focus more on the victims (mostly meaning my OCs), and that's mostly because I fear misinterpreting the canon characters and losing fans. I'd want to keep the team exactly the way they are in the show, but I haven't seen the show in SO LONG and even then I didn't really get to watch much. I've been kinda Criminal Minds Wiki-ing lately to try to catch up, but nothing beats watching the show. So I apologize. The second thing, however, is that your question is answered directly and indirectly. The indirect answer is that this chapter is in Reid's perspective. Meaning you're going to see the team! XD**

**So yeah. Sorry about the super-long author's note, but I had to tell you guys all of that. Don't kill me, don't turn my profile pic into a dartboard and throw darts and stuff at it in anger, just give me a chance. That's all. :-D**

**Okay, so I lied, I'm not done. I'll be done shortly though, I promise!**

**PLEASE CHECK OUT MY NICKHOALES SERIES IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. It's really important you read all three finished books and keep reading the unfinished fourth because I'm bringing in characters from that series. I already have, but I'm seriously interlacing them more in the future. Amy, Domonick, Eloïse, and Danielle are going to be introduced or re-introduced into this story soon. The only way for you to really and fully know who they are is to read An Unyielding, Horrifying Love, Pain Of An Eighth Grade Genius, Wounded, and Savior From The Grave. I know Aryanna, James, and Savannah really aren't in those, and I know Amy, Domonick, Eloïse, and Danielle aren't really in this one, but Savior From The Grave will definitely have Aryanna, James, and Savannah more once I get around to making the team save everyone, and Red Rain will have Amy, Domonick, Eloïse, and Danielle more once I get around to making Aryanna finally wake from the coma. The four will be in coming chapters as James still needs company while waiting for Aryanna, but SFTG...I really can't put the three in until I get everyone rescued. Easy as that. ;-)**

**You know what, let me get to the chapter now...**

**Does anyone even read these notes?**

* * *

Reid sighed as he got out of the SUV, followed by Morgan, Hotch, and JJ, Rossi and Prentiss getting out of the one that followed. The sight of the old lodge was one he wished not to see, but he knew evidence had to be processed, and therefore he had to be there.

As soon as he walked through the door, he felt like he should draw his gun, but he shook off the feeling, knowing there would be no threat from anyone. The only people there were the team.

Hotch sighed. "Alright. We need to finish going through the lodge. It may be what helps us discover the identities of other victims."

The team split up, so Reid headed downstairs. The basement gave him the chills as he gazed upon the chains hanging from the ceiling, from which he knew Aryanna had been suspended from the majority of her captivity there. He looked below them at darkening red stains he knew to be from Aryanna's blood, and followed the trail with his eyes, where another large darkening red stain was located on the wall and had dripped and been smeared down the wall, as if from someone's bloody body sliding down the wall, along with the stain on the ground from when that body was left lying on the ground for a while. This he recognized to be from the second tape.

Something in the far corner caught his eye. When he turned around, he realized it was a small two-by-four solid wood crate with the top drilled on, one that someone had attempted to carve into something beautiful. He stepped closer, and realized the top wasn't drilled on, but with hinges and a lock. He walked closer cautiously, and realized the key was hanging from the lock by a small gold necklace chain with a rather large diamond pendant along with that key. However, that necklace was stained with dried black blood, causing Reid to grow wary. His heart began to thump wildly. What was inside this box?

Knowing he'd need to find out the answer thanks to the bloodstains on the necklace, he took the key in his gloved hands and carefully unlocked the crate. When he lifted the lid, his eyes widened.

Inside...was a skeleton.

It was a relatively small skeleton, so small it must have belonged to a young child. It was definitely an old skeleton, too, as the dust inside the crate was thick and brown. The skeleton still, however, wore a long, moth-eaten dress that must have been white at one time, but had yellowed with age and darkened with the dust.

Reid instantly dropped the lid and hurriedly radioed that he'd found something that the rest of the team needed to see. Within minutes the team had assembled in the basement, surrounding the crate.

"When you see what's inside..." Reid couldn't even finish his sentence; he simply opened the lid and looked away.

The team all took turns looking inside, some looking away quickly with tears in their eyes, others unable to tear their eyes off the saddening sight.

"A skeleton? Why would they keep a body?" Morgan asked.

"No doubt the medical examiner can tell us that," Hotch replied, looking away and taking out his phone as he walked back upstairs.

* * *

Reid stood next to Hotch and Morgan as Dr. Vittoria Paramanathen examined the skeleton and dress with gloved hands. She had pulled her smooth black hair into a bun at the nape of her neck, her dark eyes focused on the task in front of her. Her tan skin confirmed her Indian-Italian heritage.

"Well," Dr. Paramanathen said, straightening up, "she was at least seven years old when she died, and has been dead for a good four years, give or take. Due to the bones' fragile state and, in some cases, actually fractured, along with signs of previous fractures, she had undergone intense torture prior to death, maybe even for months or years prior. A small fracture at the base of her skull could have been the cause of death, but this is simply bone. It would have been more helpful to determine cause of death if I had the entire body."

Hotch nodded. "You said she was at least seven?"

Dr. Paramanathen nodded. "Indeed."

Morgan frowned. "Seven."

"A bit too old for them, no?" Reid asked hopefully.

But Hotch shook his head. "No. That was the age at which Erika was made their victim."

Reid frowned. "But they wouldn't have killed their victims. They needed them alive."

"It could have been an accident," Hotch suggested.

"Well, whatever it was, it was about time, unfortunately."

The three agents turned to Dr. Paramanathen, who stood by a computer screen comparing dental records. The two on the screen currently flashed with the words "MATCH FOUND" in green. The ME clicked on a few things before a young girl's picture and information came into view.

"The victim had been lost for two years prior to the age of death," she said as Hotch, Reid, and Morgan rushed over.

Morgan was the first to respond to the young girl's image and name. "No..."

"But-" Reid started, but Hotch put his hands on the agents' shoulders.

"This stays with the team, understood?" Hotch ordered.

A teary-eyed Morgan and a confused Reid nodded their heads shallowly.

Dr. Paramanathen sighed. "Well, this makes my other suspicion...painfully correct." She turned away from the computer screen and directed her attention to paperwork nearby.

"Other suspicion?" Hotch asked, turning towards the ME.

Dr. Paramanathen nodded, then sighed, bracing herself against the table. "Due to the injuries and signs of other injuries, I had felt she was almost a test subject, or, dare I say it, a pet of Harvey Matthews'. Now it is obvious that was the case. No other child had been kept for longer than a month or so."

Hotch shook his head. "We don't know that she was there for those two years."

Dr. Paramanathen pursed her lips and looked up at the agent. "Agent Hotchner, those injuries could very easily have dated as far back as those two years. You might want to ask whoever healed those injuries how long she was there."

Hotch sighed. "Thank you, Dr. Paramanathen."

Dr. Paramanathen forced a smile. "Please, it's Dr. Para or Vittoria."

Morgan forced a smile as well. "Well, thank you Dr. Para."

"For you, it's Vittoria."

Reid rolled his eyes, but a faint smile formed on his lips as Morgan chuckled. However, something deep inside warned him that this would not be the last time this was such a shocking revelation, nor the last time he would have to keep something secret.


End file.
